Chasing Your Shadow
by Artemis the Rebel
Summary: In the sequel to Ezra Lost, all seems to be finally returning to normal after almost five entire months. But little do our rebels know that everything is about to be shattered to pieces again. (Contains spoilers from seasons 1 and 2 and, of course, Ezra Lost! Rated T for possible future usage of electricity and probe droids, with discretion, of course. Oops - was that a spoiler?)
1. Chapter 1

1

 **EZRA BRIDGER** closed his sapphire blue eyes.

He drew a shaky breath in.

He breathed out.

With his eyes closed, all he could see was darkness.

The darkness…

Ezra suddenly tried to swallow, but he couldn't. And he couldn't breathe. He was suffocating, drowning in the bloodfreezing, eternal darkness-

"Ezra!"

Strong hands shook Ezra violently by the shoulders in an attempt to rip him free of his half-waking nightmare. Ezra's eyelids flew open and he uncontrollably threw himself at his master, gasping desperately. There was no air. Ezra was sinking, sinking-

 _"Kanan!"_ the teenage boy screamed, thrashing and flailing wildly as Kanan shouted and struggled to grab hold of him. But it wasn't Kanan - it was the Inquisitor! The Pau'an's fangs were bared into a gruesome, yellow-stained sneer as he quickly overpowered Ezra, beginning to drag him away to the torture chamber all over again-

Kanan Jarrus slammed into Ezra, forcefully pinning his terrified Padawan against the floor. "EZRA! Come back to me!" he ordered fiercely. "Come back to me RIGHT NOW!"

Nothing, nothing at all in the galaxy hurt Kanan more than this, and it happened every time Ezra tried to meditate. Having to wrestle the kid while he was screeching and crying and trying to _fight_ Kanan, as though Kanan was some sort of horrible Imperial - it was a lightsaber through the heart.

Ezra slowly ceased to thrash beneath Kanan's hands. Both of their chests were heaving as they stared into each other's faces. Ezra was trembling so hard he almost could have shaken himself to death, and his skin was frigid to the touch.

"Ezra," Kanan said softly. "It's all right. Everything you see right now is all over." His voice caught in his throat. "None of it is real anymore."

 _I did this to him._

Ezra's panting began to die down as his eyes gradually cleared. He gazed up at Kanan for a moment longer; then a shadow passed over his suntanned face and he looked away, realizing what had happened.

"I'm sorry," he whispered faintly.

Kanan's tourmaline eyes widened. _"Ezra..."_ He got off of his Padawan and reached down towards him with an expression of torment. "It's _not_ your fault."

Ezra did not take Kanan's hand. "I-I feel so terrible," he choked out, tears slipping over his cheekbones. "Y-You're all trying so hard - to help me -" Kanan stared down at the boy in sheer horror as Ezra's emotions came spilling out of him. "And you all have to _deal_ with this-"

Kanan abruptly dropped to his knees and sternly pressed his fingers over Ezra's lips. The Jedi glared ferociously into his Padawan's eyes. Ezra stared back in shock.

"I _never_ want to hear you say _anything_ like that _ever again,"_ Kanan growled. "It's not true. _None_ of it is true, all the thoughts running through your head right now!" The man's voice steadily rose. "I can't stand hearing you blame yourself, Ezra. Nothing that happened was your fault." The tears came dripping down. "It's all MINE!"

Ezra looked up at his master and all he could see was anguish. So much self-blame and self-hatred...

The shocked teenager removed Kanan's hand and slowly sat up.

"Kanan," he said numbly. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't-"

Suddenly, the door to Kanan's room popped open. Hera Syndulla stood in its place. Her emerald eyes flicked over the situation rapidly and her face fell.

"Oh," Ezra exclaimed, striving to recover as quickly as he could, at least on the outside. "Hi, Hera."

Hera bit her lip, regarding them both with a sorrowful gaze. "It... happened again..."

Ezra wiped his face shamefully and rose. "I... I'm all right, Hera." He tried to smile at her.

Kanan was silent, his head lowered and back to their captain.

"I'm sorry to intrude, you two," Hera apologized, struggling to sound chipper and act as though nothing horrid had just happened. "I-I was just hoping that you could run out to the market for me." She attempted to muster up a smile in return for Ezra's, but her heart was broken and the shards were crumbling apart. "But I can send Zeb instead if you'd rather not go."

"No, Hera, it's fine!" Ezra assured her. "We'd love to go! It'll be great - right, Kanan?" He glanced down at his master hopefully.

Kanan quickly terminated all evidence of his guilt with a wiping of his sleeve and stood up, then turned to force a smile at Hera and Ezra. "Of course. The fresh air will do us both good."

He looked at Hera and faltered. She was staring coldly through his façade and into his soul. Kanan suddenly, mildly wondered if she could read his very mind and knew about all the naughty things he tended to think around her.

Hera curtly stepped forward and handed Kanan a shopping list. "And don't you _dare_ think about skipping on the meilooruns," she warned him. Kanan caught the tiny smirk that appeared on her face.

"Yes, ma'am, all right, ma'am, thank you, ma'am," Kanan said meekly. That earned him a slight whack on the head. He grinned widely at Hera as Ezra sniggered behind him. _It was worth it!_

"Get out of here," Hera ordered loudly, struggling to stifle her own laughter. She stood aside and pointed sternly at the open doorway.

Kanan slowly walked out with his head hanging low. Ezra was then exploding with giggles as he scrambled after his master.

Hera rolled her eyes, then walked out to go down the opposite hall, the door hissing shut behind her. She knew he was being a goofball for Ezra's sake, but then again, she also knew that he would most certainly be a goofball anyway.

:::

* * *

 **Hey, guys! I am back! While I am very busy making Christmas presents, I could not resist beginning the sequel to Ezra Lost! :D I hope you all liked the first chapter. It might be a while before I'm able to write the second one, but it'll be up before you know it!**

 **I pretty much have the plot of the sequel down now, but if you have any ideas - like any random characters from the original trilogy you really want to see as a guest star (and I've already got at least one planned for the future!)- please let me know in a review or PM!**

 **By the way, this fanfiction WILL have spoilers from season 2, including characters who debut in season 2. You have been warned!**

 **And one last thing, guys, if you would - it'd be really nice if you stopped by the profile of fellow fanfiction writer VStarTraveler. He writes awesome stories for an older show called _Battlestar Galactica,_ but nobody really reads them, which I think is very sad! If you haven't seen the show (I haven't), don't panic if you decide to stop by. It's rather like a cousin to Star Wars and he includes a very thoughtful guide to some _Battlestar Galactica_ terminology at the beginning of his first story, _SAFE-TY SYS-TEM._**

 **Arty out and glad to be back! ;D**


	2. Chapter 2

**This fanfiction's plot has been slightly shaped by the songs Get Home by Bastille and Give Me a Sign and I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin. Give them a listen if you'd like some possible sneaky spoilers!**

 **Specter14: Hey there! :D Remember, you're the one who gave me the inspiration to write this sequel the way it will turn out. I changed the original idea up a lot, but it's still the cement in Chasing Your Shadow's foundation. Thank you!**

 **VStarTraveler: No problem, my friend. I hope my shoutout helped gain your hard work some well-deserved extra attention!**

 **And one last note that I want to get off my chest.**

 **It's almost completely irrelevant, and just four words.**

 **THE FORCE AWAKENS, BABY!**

2

 **KANAN JARRUS** glanced aside in surprise as Ezra suddenly darted past him - or tried to. Kanan swiftly caught the boy's arm.

Ezra stopped and stared at him with irritated blue eyes.

"No running," Kanan firmly ordered the boy. "You need to take it easy and you know it."

Ezra threw out his lower lip, but obliged anyway.

Kanan smiled faintly as they walked on. They were heading towards the _Ghost's_ hangar, but Kanan already sensed that Ezra wanted to make a quick stop elsewhere. The Jedi Master waited patiently as Ezra paused in front of a door just a little further down the hall and knocked.

After a moment, a hoarse voice croaked out: "Yes?"

Ezra leaned against the wall. "Hey, Sabine - it's me, Ezra. Kanan and I are heading out. I just wanted to know if you need anything."

Sabine had a cold and was in isolation from the other humans on board.

Suddenly, the door sprang open. Ezra jumped in surprise and stumbled back, instinctively pulling his tall collar over his mouth and nose.

But it wasn't Sabine; it was Tseebo.

The gangly Rodian smiled at Ezra and lifted one finger. "Sabine wants Tseebo to tell you that she is feeling better. Hera has asked Tseebo to give her whatever she needs, so do not worry, Ezra." He reached out with one gangly arm and ruffled Ezra's hair.

Ezra grinned, letting go of his collar. Being a Rodian, Tseebo was unable to catch Sabine's illness. "All right, Tseebo. Thanks."

Tseebo tilted his head suddenly and his smile faded. "But what of Ezra?" He stared at the boy. "How is Ezra feeling?"

He asked this a lot - almost every day. Seeing Ezra after the Empire had turned him to the Dark Side and what that had done to him had shaken the Rodian to the core.

"I'm okay," Ezra promised, his face softening as he looked up at Tseebo.

Tseebo immediately glanced at Kanan for affirmation.

Kanan sighed softly. He'd never had the heart to tell the latest member of their crew the truth about Ezra's... condition.

So he folded his arms and gave a nod.

Tseebo smiled in relief and clasped Ezra in a brief hug before stepping back. The door closed over a joyful image of the Rodian waving.

Ezra grinned again and fixed his hair, then looked up at Kanan.

"Ready to go now, sport?" Kanan queried with a smile.

Ezra nodded, and together they set off.

:::

Getting to the market was rather easy when one had a speeder bike. Also, it wasn't too far away from the spaceport the _Ghost_ loomed in, and that sure helped too. It was most certainly a quicker trip on Garel than it was on Lothal.

The Empire seemed to be on their tail even more than normal, so that meant the rebels had to planethop. So far, Garel was Ezra's favorite. He liked the crowded streets lined with flat-roofed houses and apartment buildings - they made for easy getaways and reminded him of Capital City. The purple sky was also pretty cool.

And who didn't love the memories of almost getting killed by Imperials in Bay 7 while stealing deadly weapons?

Ezra and Kanan left their bikes in a designated area (Ezra made sure they were locked in place so no criminals who were less skilled than he was could steal them), then headed into the market.

As the twosome strolled towards the nearest stall, Ezra immediately noticed something amiss that Kanan, whose cyan gaze was fixed on Hera's shopping list, did not.

The wide street, normally swarming with shoppers, was completely empty.

Ezra slowed to a halt, glancing around with narrowed eyes and an uneasy frown on his face.

Kanan, however, continued on, momentarily too focused on the duty at hand to realize what Ezra had.

 _Something's not right._

"Kanan..." Ezra spoke up warily, glancing ahead at his master. Kanan was surveying the stall's supply of jogans, and didn't hear his Padawan's quiet call. The vendor wasn't looking at Kanan, however; the terrified young farmer kept wildly glancing up at the rooftops.

Ezra's eyebrows met. He followed the vendor's eyes up to the roof of the building just beyond Kanan and the vendor, but saw nothing.

At the same time, he _knew_ something was there.

Ezra suddenly yearned to tap into the Force. It would have told him to move if something terrible was about to happen. But ever since he had been forced into the Dark Side, Ezra had been far too terrified to use it again. His training with Kanan was now almost unheard of, and any attempt to start it up again - like that morning - ended with Ezra becoming even more afraid than before.

Had Ezra somehow accepted the Force to be with him once more before this very moment, then perhaps he could have prevented what happened next.

Kanan suddenly snapped his head up and yelped, but it was far too late. A previously well-hidden figure leapt down from the roof above and landed square on top of the Jedi, effectively knocking him unconscious.

 _"Kanan!"_ Ezra shouted, bolting forward. The assailant looked up, and Ezra managed to get a quick glimpse of his appearance: dark gray armor that covered his entire body, and an almost Mandalorian but entirely unique helmet with the jet-black Galactic Basic symbol for S on the front.

Ezra's eyes widened. _"You!"_ he yelled, whipping out his lightsaber and aiming to shoot even as he ran nearer.

The bounty hunter seized hold of Kanan's limp body, then, with his free arm, removed a large blaster from the holster on his back. It shot out a line attacked to a grappling hook and then, in a matter of seconds, both the bounty hunter and Kanan were gone.

"NO!" Ezra stumbled to a halt right where they had just been, the pulse he'd fired a mere moment before hitting only the wall. _"KANAN!"_ He looked up desperately. The vendor was running for his life.

Good. Ezra jumped up onto the stall, slipping on the jogans, then sprang for the top of the stall. His fingers grasped its edge, drastically bending the material down. Ezra yelped, desperately kicking his legs as he managed to yank himself up. He leapt onto the building's roof just as the entire stall capsized, sending purple fruits rolling everywhere.

Ezra immediately broke into another sprint. "STOP!" he screamed, witnessing the bounty hunter far on the other side of the roof as he disappeared.

Ezra scrambled all the way to the edge, barely catching himself before falling past it. He scanned the alleyway below desperately, but they were nowhere in sight.

"Kanan," whispered Ezra hollowly, falling to his knees and pressing his hands to his face in disbelief, shock, and grief.

 _No..._

 **Okay. I'm sorry. I know you're probably all thinking** ** _"MY PONYTAIL!"_** **and** ** _"NO! ARTY, HOW COULD YOU?!"_**

 **But for those of you who may be thinking "Oh, come on. We're losing a crewmember? We just did that in the last one!", don't you worry. I have vowed to make** ** _Chasing Your Shadow_** **as different from** ** _Ezra Lost_** **as possible! ;D**

 **Bye for now! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the third chapter! I'm sorry it's so late, the holidays tangled me up a bit and, even worse, I got smacked with some writer's block - but don't you worry, it's all over with now, and I hope you all had a merry Christmas!**

 **And, in response to your reviews..**

 **..um... of course Kanan won't be gone for a long time!... heh, heh... heh...**

* * *

3

 **HE DIDN'T** know what to do.

The Force wasn't there to guide him.

If it had been...

If Ezra had never rejected it... then it could have led him after Kanan.

But he had.

And now Kanan was gone.

It had taken months to repair what the Empire had destroyed in taking Ezra away. And some of it was still broken, perhaps never to be fixed.

But in a mere instant, it had been shattered to pieces again, and Ezra didn't know how to fit them back together... or even explain what had happened to his crew.

 _Explain._ The idea of explaining tore Ezra apart even further. He imagined the faces of his friends and couldn't bear what he saw.

So he continued to sit alone on the building's edge, sobbing silently into his arms.

 _Gone._ Kanan was gone. It just kept running through his head, over and over, bringing a fresh wave of pain upon him each time. It felt like he had only just gotten Kanan back, and now... Ezra had lost him all over again.

He was unaware of how many minutes had gone by when he finally raised his head, wiped his eyes and realized: crying wasn't going to solve anything.

He needed to think. Consider his options.

He needed to stop saying to himself that everything was over.

He could leave on his own, right now, and go after the bounty hunter.

Ezra dismissed that idea at once. If he had known where Shadow had gone, then he might have decided differently. But as it was, the answer was no. He needed the help of his crew, his family, to track him down.

And after what he had seen Shadow do all those years ago, he figured it really wasn't a good idea for him - or most people - to take that guy on anyway.

 _I need to suck it up and tell Hera what happened to Kanan... no matter how much it hurts._

Ezra heaved a sigh and slowly stood. Looking out one final time over the last place he had seen his beloved master, Ezra turned, then headed home.

:::

Hera knew something was wrong the second Ezra Bridger stepped into the cockpit. The expression on the boy's suntanned face was the immediate warning. Devastated.

It was the same look Kanan had had when he had realized that Ezra wouldn't be returning from his op, over five months ago.

Hera leapt out of her chair and stared at him. _"Ezra,"_ she said urgently. "What's the matter? What happened?"

Ezra shakily inhaled and lowered his eyes.

"Hera," he whispered. "Please.. sit back down."

:::

Shadow the bounty hunter swiftly leapt and sprinted over Lothal's rooftops, the Jedi gathered in his arms. How the Empire would be pleased. _How my pockets will be jangling with credits._ Shadow knew that, in the Clone Wars, Jedi had been worth ten thousand credits a head to the Separatists - who were now the richer-than-rich Empire. The knowledge that he was finally about to get a slice of some of that richness made him feel all tingly and exhilarated inside.

Happiness and excitement were new emotions.

Shadow decided that he didn't like them. Once he was rich, he figured he'd probably be able to have them removed.

Shadow gracefully jumped off the edge of a roof and landed soundly on his own two feet, in a crouch. He straightened slowly and glanced around underneath his beautifully remodeled, repainted, and formerly-Mandalorian helmet. He was now within the docking bay that matched the coordinates he'd been given. And there, a joy to behold indeed, was the Imperial freighter, sitting there and awaiting him.

Ugh. Joy again. Blech.

Shadow trotted towards the small ship, feeling a little chuckle beginning to well up inside him, a laugh of triumph. At long last, his metaphorical pockets (bounty hunters should never carry all of their money with them) would be brimming over with lovely golden credits, jingle jangle, sparkle sparkle. And at long last, the galaxy would grimace and tremble at the mere mentioning of Shadow the bounty hunter, Shadow, the captor of Jedi. Maybe he could even fudge the tale a little bit and say he had _killed_ the Jedi. Oh, _yes,_ Shadow the Jedi Killer _did_ have a wonderful ring to it, did it not?

As he kept walking, his concealed gaze on the shuttle, Shadow remembered the first major Imperial job he'd proved himself worthy of (this one was his second), three years before. It had also been his first time on Lothal. Wonderful planet, Lothal. He hadn't realized until his return three days ago that he had missed it. During his original visit, Shadow had been disturbed by the peacefulness. Even the cities here were so much smaller and quieter than they were on Coruscant, the planet he officially resided on, and all of the other of the Core Worlds that he so frequented. But now, he'd finally noticed that he rather liked the change.

Shadow stopped before the shuttle, over with his quiet little reflection and more than ready to dump off this Jedi in exchange for heaps and heaps of cash. His arms were starting to ache, and he suspected that the credits would be lighter (and that the fully grown man he was holding had eaten extra space waffles for breakfast - no, EVERY breakfast).

He stared at the freighter expectantly for a moment. Then another moment, and another - until he realized that nothing was going to happen.

"Er.." Shadow lifted his voice until he was speaking at the top of his lungs. "Shadow the bounty hunter reporting in! Mission successful - I have your Jedi!" And _I'm oh so ready to be filthy rich!_

Again, he waited.

Nothing.

Shadow was just about to blow a gasket in confusion and anger when, all of a sudden, the docking bay began to fill with wind - from above. Shadow yelped in alarm and rapidly stepped backwards as a ship abruptly descended from the sky, blowing dust along with it. He backed against a wall to avoid being crushed in the small docking bay, his heart pounding in his ears - what was this?! The Imperials had told him nothing of this! All they had given him were the coordinates and instructions to wait by the shuttle once he had-

The ship masterfully landed beside the Imperial freighter with a hiss, breaking through Shadow's thoughts. He slowly opened his eyes to stare at the new ship.

And then his eyelids stretched wide beneath his helmet as its all-too-infamous appearance sunk in.

 _No._

 _No way._

 _This can't be happening. This isn't happening._ Why _is this happening-_

Shadow knew everything he could possibly know about this ship, even though he had never seen it before, not even once. Manufactured by Kuat Systems Engineering - its green, brown, and gray exterior scraped and battered from numerous firefights in space - its model, Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft, admirably modified - capable of blasting out seismic charges - laden with sixteen minelayers, proton torpedo tubes, two laser cannons - oh, the unmistakable shape...

Shadow felt like he might just wet his pants.

"The _Slave I,"_ he breathed hoarsely, staring in awe as the ship's hatch opened, and out climbed one of the deadliest and most renowned bounty hunters in the galaxy.

Shadow's idol.

 _Boba Fett._

The tall man, clad in full Mandalorian body armor, just as green and battered and laden with beautiful extra weapons as people whispered about, leapt down from the ship and turned to stare back at the younger bounty hunter on the other side of the docking bay.

Shadow suddenly inhaled. He hadn't realized his breath had frozen within him until he abruptly felt the desperate ache for air.

"Boba Fett, sir," he began, wincing at the squeak at the beginning of his sentence. How could the processor in his helmet alter his true voice, but not filter out the squeaks?! "I-I don't understand..why.. you're here-"

Boba strode forward, towards Shadow, deadly purpose in every powerful step. "Interesting. I'd have thought they would have filled you in."

"F-Filled me-"

The clone stopped just before Shadow and leaned closer. Shadow's heart almost stopped and every muscle in his body went rigid.

"..Shadow, is it... miss?"

Shadow just about died.

 _H-He KNOWS I'm really a -_

 _But -_

 _But_ nobody _knows!_

BOBA FETT _KNOWS!_

Oh, _she_ should have known, if Boba was as attractively smart as he was rumored to be..

"Y-yes," Shadow managed.

"Our task, Shadow, is only one third complete. You have completed the first step - capture the Jedi, Kanan Jarrus. Well done."

 _Well done...!_

"The second step is easy; we deliver him to the Empire, let them do with him what they will. But the third step, _that's_ what I was hired for." Boba chuckled (Shadow practically swooned); then he lowered his voice and leaned even closer, so close that their helmets almost touched. (It was all she could do not to faint.) "We throw his crew off his scent. Screw with them. Knock them off, one by one. And, if possible.. we bag the Bridger kid, as well." He folded his arms across his chest. "Then we both get paid."

"H-how-"

Boba raised a hand and turned away. "I'll fill you in further over the com."

Shadow's eyebrows met, and she actually formed a steady and coherent sentence: "Wait, what about the freighter? Who's in there?"

"Nobody," Boba answered, leaping up onto the hatch of the _Slave I._ "That's _your_ ship. I assume you can fly, right? 'Cause you're gonna have to - there's no way _I'm_ letting _any_ new associate into _mine."_ He plopped down into the pilot's seat, letting his gloved fingers fall on the controls as the hatch began to close. "So get into it," the bounty hunter added, not bothering to wait for a reply. "I'm not waiting up."

:::

* * *

 **BAM.**

 **BOBA FETT.**

 **ARE YOU ALL FANGIRLING AS HARD AS I AM?!**

 **BECAUSE IT WAS REALLY, REALLY HARD FOR ME NOT TO LEAP UP AND START JUMPING UP AND DOWN IN EXCITEMENT! XD**

 **Arty out for now!**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter will include the true identity of Fulcrum. Ezra Lost took place after Fire Across the Galaxy, despite the fact that Hera and the text both continued to refer to Fulcrum with their code name. I did that because the information was still pretty new then and I didn't want to spoil it to anyone. This note is an extra warning, just in case.**

4

 **THE FIRST** thing Hera did after she managed to pull herself together was contact Fulcrum - or, as the rebels had learned quite some time before Ezra's initial disappearance, Ahsoka Tano. Ezra quickly used his large, orange collar to wipe his face as a hologram of the Jedi Togruta emerged from the _Ghost's_ control board.

The small-scale, flickering rendition of Ahsoka gazed at them with a slight tilt of her head. _"Yes, Hera? What is it?"_ Her eyes darted over to Ezra and the white markings that served as eyebrows for her species met. _"Is this another call about Ezra?"_

Ezra cast his sapphire eyes downwards. Ahsoka had been able to visit them only once since their first meeting, soon after the crew had gotten him back. She had tried so hard in that one short visit to help him, but he had been too afraid, scarred, and mentally injured to undergo her treatment for very long - exposure to and meditation in the light side of the Force.

Hera shook her head, then looked back at Ahsoka desperately. The Togruta at once saw the tears on her face and her concern instantly doubled.

 _"Hera, tell me what's wrong,"_ Ahsoka said urgently.

Hera tried. She tried, but she couldn't get her voice to work. Her throat was painfully constricted and she was unable to speak through it. Instead, she bowed her head and began to twitch her _lekku._

Ahsoka stared, but she lacked Ezra's befuddled expression. The worry on her face slowly turned to horror, then grief. Once Hera's _lekku_ stilled, the Togruta pressed her crimson fingers against her forehead.

A silence fell over them like a heavy bantha fur blanket.

Then Ahsoka opened her dark blue eyes and faintly spoke.  
"Not again.."

"I-It's different this time, Ahsoka," Hera said shakily, her voice finally beginning to work again. "W-we don't know who - who _took_ him. He could be anywhere in the _galaxy_ by now." She averted her gaze, biting back tears. She couldn't do this again. She _couldn't!_

 _"Sounds familiar,"_ Ahsoka murmured. _"And a familiar case requires a familiar course of action. The first thing you should do is ask Tseebo if there are any new or renewed Imperial files on Kanan. At the same time, you should dispatch Zeb and Ezra back to the location where he was taken and have them search for-"_

"Actually.."

Ahsoka immediately looked hard at Ezra as he interrupted her - but she was by no means angry or annoyed. _"Yes, Ezra? What do you know?"_

Hera raised her head, startled, and turned her chair around to stare at him. He hadn't told her something right away? It hadn't even crossed her mind that Ezra might have seen who took Kanan, as obvious as it seemed. She had been too distraught to think strategically, as she normally did.

"I know.. who took Kanan," Ezra admitted, staring at the floor. "His name is Shadow."

 _"Shadow?"_ Ahsoka and Hera asked him at the exact same time, their voices rising with urgency.

"As far as I know, he's a bounty hunter," Ezra told them, looking up. He spoke softly, almost hesitantly, as though revisiting memories he'd never wanted to see again. "He wears black armor and a helmet that looks kind of the same design as Sabine's. There's a voice changer or something in that helmet that makes him sound almost like a droid." _Or the Seventh Sister,_ Ezra thought with a slight shudder.

 _"Tell us everything else you know,"_ Ahsoka ordered. _"The more we know about this individual, the easier and faster it will be to track him down."_

Ezra pressed his lips together. "I.. the memories are.. foggy, Ahsoka," he confessed. "But.. I recognize him. I know that I've only seen him once before... on Lothal. He was.. doing something.."

"Don't strain yourself, Ezra," Hera warned, leaning forward. "It's not worth your getting hurt."

"It is," Ezra muttered, his thick eyebrows scrunched together. "H-He was.. _taking_ people." His eyes were squeezed tightly shut. "I-Into a ship - they don't want to go-" Ezra suddenly gasped and opened his eyes, stumbling backwards.

Hera bolted out of her chair and grabbed onto him, holding him steady with alarm on her face. "Ezra!"

Ahsoka was silent, watching him. She'd known all along that he would be able to remember. Ezra could recover fully. He just needed to truly want to. He needed to banish his fear.

"I-I _remember,_ Hera," Ezra stammered, shaking. He looked up at her, his eyes wide. "He was taking the homeless from Lothal... to be forced into slavery."


	5. Chapter 5

**Got any ideas for the upcoming chapters? Let me know! ;D I already have this one idea will probably please any fellow KOTOR fans out there..**

 **Also, have any of you guys felt like this story has been kind of lackluster lately?..**

5

 **WELL, THAT** was bad news.

Hera's green eyes stretched wide in horror. _"No._ Ezra, you don't - d-do you mean -"

"Probably not," Ezra said hastily, struck by guilt when he realized just what he had implied. "I doubt Shadow's still a slave gatherer. I mean, bounty hunters are supposed to go from job to job.. right?"

 _"They do,"_ Ahsoka mused, her voice low. _"But we don't know for sure if this Shadow is truly a bounty hunter or not."_

A silence again fell over them. Ezra thought it felt cold.

Cold. Like the oceans of a frozen planet lying beneath the ice, waiting to envelop him like the shadowy arms of the Dark Side..

Ezra bit back a whimper and shook his head wildly, driving the memories away with all his might. _No, no, no, no, no._ He couldn't let them creep back in.. not now.

Hera sat back down hard in her chair, pressing her hands to her temples for a moment as her mind raced. Then she lifted her chin and glanced back over at Ahsoka.

Ahsoka gazed back at her. _"I would say it's very much worth searching. But to be safe, we should still undergo the plan I came up with a few minutes ago. We must discover and address all possible leads."_

Hera felt her heart swell up with gratitude and relief. She hadn't been completely sure if Ahsoka would help her. When Kanan had been captured by the Empire, the Togruta had advised against it for Ezra's safety and the safety of her crew. But this time, things were different. Ahsoka was no longer merely someone to advise Hera and provide them with ops and intel every now and then. She was a much closer ally now.

Her emotions must have showed on her face, because a small and gentle smile crossed Ahsoka's.

"Wait," Ezra interrupted suddenly, leaning forward. He had been hovering in the background in confusion as the two spoke. "Uh.. I just wanna go back and clarify on something for a second. Where are we searching, exactly?"

"First, we check with Tseebo's Imperial files, then send you and Zeb out to where he was taken, like Ahsoka suggested." Ezra could tell that Hera had composed herself and was now thinking like the Hera he knew. He found that it made him smile. "And then we investigate the biggest slave trade planets to see if any of them are still dealing with Shadow."

Ezra's eyes widened in alarm. He opened his mouth, then closed it. They had to do everything they could to get Kanan back, and if that meant going to a place that was positively crawling with extremely dangerous and deceptive scum.. then so be it.

 _"Ezra,"_ Ahsoka said, switching her intense blue gaze to him. _"Would you happen to know which planet Shadow was taking slaves to in the first place? That might be a good place as any to start."_

As it happened, Ezra was clearly already trying to remember. His brows met, and it was obvious from his expression that he had to struggle even harder to break through the walls in his memory and recall this smaller piece of information.

"Easy," Ahsoka told him calmly. Hera was straining to stay silent and still, fear written all over her face.

Ezra began to tremble, and Hera was just about to leap to her feet again when he opened his eyes and slumped against the wall, weakened.

"Tattooine," he muttered breathlessly. "He was taking them.. to Tattooine."

As Hera was staring at Ezra and Ezra was listlessly gazing towards the floor, neither of them witnessed the shadow that swept across her countenance.

It was gone by the time Hera quickly swiveled around in her chair to look at her. "We head there tonight."

Ahsoka nodded once. _"Ahsoka out."_

The holocall switched off on its own, terminated from the Jedi's side of the transmission. Hera hurriedly got up and walked over to Ezra, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You sit down and rest a moment while I find Tseebo," Hera murmured. "Thank you, Ezra."

"No problem," Ezra told her with a weak smile and a cheeky thumbs-up.

Hera smiled back slightly, ruefully. Her hand lingered on his shoulder for a moment before she stepped past him and left the cockpit.

Ezra, meanwhile, was not about to do a thing that he was told.

He walked over to Hera's chair and sat in it, then quickly started up his own holocall.

 _Wherever you are, Kanan, hang on. We're coming for you._

 _I'm going to fix this._

:::


	6. Chapter 6

6

 **HERA SLID** down the ladder. As she turned away from it, she found herself half waiting for Kanan to jump after her.

Her heart squeezed and she quickly averted her emerald gaze from the worn rungs. She had to avoid truly digesting that Kanan was gone _\- again -_ for as long as she could. But even then, more tears were building.

Hera hurried through the _Ghost,_ heading straight for Sabine's room. She figured that was most likely where she'd find Tseebo. Normally, it instantly warmed her up inside whenever she thought about how sweet and loyal Tseebo was, constantly helping Sabine get better in whatever way he could - but Hera was much too distraught right then.

Just as the Twi'lek captain was scrambling into the cabin hall, however, the entire ship gave an enormous shake. Hera shrieked in surprise as she stumbled into the wall, then quickly pressed herself against it to remain steady as the _Ghost_ quaked again.

She looked up, a scowl crossing her face.

Now, Hera definitely wasn't a Jedi, but she did have intuition.

And either someone had chosen a fine time to attack, or she was going to have to wring a certain teenage boy's neck.

Ezra could already feel her enraged thoughts squeezing around his throat.

Ezra had stolen the _Phantom_ before, sure, but to say the least, the _Ghost_ was a bit of a step up. He reckoned that Hera was going to kill him for this one, but he just hoped that he'd have sent them to hyperspace before then.

Ezra's eyes were stretched wide with panic as he fumbled at the controls. The _Ghost_ shuddered violently as it slowly, clumsily jerked into the air.

Suddenly, Chopper burst into the cockpit behind him. "WRRRRRRR! _WRR WRR WRR!?"_

"Little busy!" Ezra yelped tightly, struggling to keep the ship steady. He heard a loud screech from outside as the _Ghost_ rose above its docking area and winced. _Yep, Hera is_ definitely _going to kill me._

"WRRR!" Chopper zipped over, angrily waving his mechanical arms. _"WRR,_ wrr wrr wrr!?"

"Will you shut up!?" yelled Ezra, growling as he managed to yank the _Ghost_ higher and higher into the air. Then he shoved a lever forward and the ship surged forward, throwing Ezra back in his seat and sending a screeching Chopper sliding across the cockpit.

Ezra quickly raised his head and stared out the windshield: the _Ghost_ was gliding smoothly by itself. He exhaled loudly in relief.

He did so too soon.

"EZRA BRIDGER SO HELP ME WHEN I GET UP THERE YOUR FUTURE _GRANDCHILDREN_ WILL BE ABLE TO FEEL YOUR PAIN!"

Ezra flinched, cringing, then glanced over at Chopper. The droid was grumbling loudly as he managed to roll towards him again. "Uhhh... Chop? Do you think you could, I dunno... go down there and distract Hera for me?"

Chopper's reaction was startlingly lax, but still suspicious. "Wrr wrr?"

"I need to get the _Ghost_ into hyperspace."

 _"Wrr wrrrr wrr wrr?!"_

"Of course I won't kill us all! Have a little faith in me, Chop. Besides, I'm sure you've heard that Kanan's.." He suddenly choked. "-g-gone.. this is for him! Trust me, I _have_ to do this. I one hundred percent believe that _this_ _is what I've got to do!"_

Ezra stared at Chopper fiercely. His sapphire blue eyes burned.

"Wrr," Chopper buzzed, turning around and jerking one arm around. "Wrr wrr wr wrr. Wrr!"

Ezra sighed. "THANK you. And don't worry, I'll definitely be trying not to die."

As Chopper rolled out of the cockpit, Ezra leaned forward and carefully gripped the controls once more.

He let out a long breath, then began to steer the _Ghost_ upwards. The ship shook and rattled as if it knew that he wasn't supposed to be flying it at all, whatsoever. Ezra winced at the unpromising sounds and prayed to the Force that this wouldn't end in disaster. 

If only the Force was with him.

:::


	7. Chapter 7

**Get ready for a sudden perspective change, folks!.. in the form of a sudden chapter. I'm so sorry. It's about time, I know. I've had writer's block.. but don't worry, I'm going to try really hard to keep those creative juices flowing. I missed you! ;D And I hope you're all well, and that you enjoy this chapter. I actually wrote the original version (which shouldn't be too different from this one) quite some time ago, in a notebook. So it'll be pretty long. *grin***

 **Oh, and - if you haven't seen the episode "Always Two There Are" (which, by the way, is TOTALLY a direct quote of Darth Maul's from the Clone Wars!-..ahem), then you might want to reconsider reading this, as it features a certain character from that episode whom I'd hate to spoil. *another grin, considerably more evil than the last one xD* I've already mentioned her in a previous chapter... but without further ado (because there's really been enough XD)... Chapter Seven!**

7

 **THE JEDI'S** eyes remained closed as the Inquisitor advanced into the chamber, his arms folded behind his back. The Pau'an's golden gaze flicked over Jarrus' face and he knew at once that the rebel was now awake - and listening. But, the Inquisitor thought with an infinitesimal smirk, if the Jedi wanted to play such games, then so could he.

The Grand Inquisitor glanced over his shoulder at the Miralian woman he had assigned to join him. She bowed her head the instant she felt his attention turn towards her.

"The Jedi sleeps," he said emotionlessly. "Wake him."

The black-armored Miralian lifted her head, and the Inquisitor could tell promptly that she knew precisely what he was up to. "Of course, your greatness." There was a glitter in her yellow eyes and the ghost of a cruel grin playing at her lips. Then she raised one hand and gestured towards Jarrus with two fingers.

Her pair of miniature probe droids drifted above her and over to the locked-down Jedi. The Inquisitor turned to watch with satisfaction as the droids settled on either of Jarrus' shoulders, beeping raucously. The Inquisitor was pleased to see the man flinch slightly and, judging by the flickering of the human's eyelids, it was a struggle for Jarrus not to open them.

The probes locked their spiderlike mechanical legs down onto the orange fabric of Jarrus' prison suit, then crackled with electricity, which instantly spread into the Jedi's entire body.

Two stormtrooper guards at a lower level door stirred at his scream.

After a moment, the Grand Inquisitor simply lifted his hand. The Miralian clicked her tongue and the droids obediently flew back to her, settling on top of her angular ebony helmet.

The Inquisitor regarded Jarrus for a moment. The rebel leader breathed heavily, his head held weakly low as he glowered at the two Imperials through half-closed eyes.

It again crossed the Pau'an's mind how very pleased he was with Shadow's work. He'd had his doubts about the young bounty hunter, despite Shadow's rather impressive resume. Such was a large part of the reason why he had additionally employed Fett - the Inquisitor knew very well that if the first bounty hunter he had contacted failed in any way, Fett would be able to correct her mistakes - and, in such a case (as the Inquisitor had privately ordered Fett), take over the operation completely.

But thus far, everything had gone incredibly smoothly, by far exceeding the Inquisitor's expectations. (The fact that his master had specifically ordered the Inquisitor not to attempt capturing Jarrus himself had quietly left him extra cynical and better.) But there was certainly no time to waste, so upon Shadow's triumphant return with Fett, the Inquisitor had immediately ensured that the then-unconscious Jarrus was dealt with; then he'd given them their orders and sent them back out once more.

The Inquisitor's eyes glittered at his pleasant thoughts. Once again, he had Jarrus in his grasp. And this time -

no one would be coming to rescue him.

A chuckle almost escaped him. Essentially, that was the entire plan. Wonderfully intricate, not at all as it seemed to be, ever ongoing and, of course, one of his best.

The Inquisitor slowly stepped closer until he was near enough to hear Jarrus' panting, then reached out to lift the man's prominent, goateed chin.

"What a pleasure it is to see you back in this little room," he drawled softly, staring into Jarrus' face with a cold and ugly smile. "Is it not curious how fate seems to reign above all else?"

"Yeah, fate," Jarrus growled. The Inquisitor could scarcely hear him. "A real sick, twisted mistress."

The Inquisitor's gelid smirk broadened. "Indeed," he mused, then paused. "You know, Jedi..." He leaned a little closer. Kanan wrinkled his nose at the reek of raw meat on the Pau'an's breath. "This is _exactly_ what I _did_ to your _Padawan."_

Jarrus stared up at him. The Grand Inquisitor was satisfied to sense a ripple of agony emanate from him through the Force. Liquid hatred in its purest form gathered into Jarrus' cyan eyes.

The three organic beings in the room were very, very still. A wide smirk displayed nearly all of the Inquisitor's jagged teeth.

He turned away just as Jarrus lunged forward against his bonds with a snarl, most likely in an attempt to bite the Inquisitor's finger off. Luckily, the Inquisitor had learned well from last time.

He walked towards the door, posture erect, ever radiating darkness and icy satisfaction.

"He is yours," he told the Miralian woman nonchalantly as he passed her, then exited the chamber.

The Miralian grinned and gazed at the captive Jedi with cold pleasure. "Greetings, Kanan," she said, her voice sounding eerily as though it was mechanically altered. "I don't believe we've met." As she spoke, her probe droids drifted forward again, clicking their front legs together like mandibles. "I am the Seventh Sister - and these are my pets, whom I believe you have already met."

Her eyes sparkled as Kanan began to scream.

"I suspect we will get along _famously."_

:::

 **By "fate" and "sick and twisted mistress", of course, they are unwittingly referencing me xD Once again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I look forward to coming back soon with more!**

 **But for now, a little extra teaser- who on earth did Ezra call?! Hmmm... well, he's appeared in the series, and he's going to show up pretty soon. I'm pretty sure most of us love his antics - and that** ** _most_** **of the crew will be none too pleased to see his face again. ;) Yep, you all know who I'm talking about, right?**

 **Oh, and we're bound to see some other familiar faces (and places!), too. So sit tight, folks, and get ready. We're in for a wild ride - and so is our favorite rebel crew!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Back with chapter 8, guys! ;D Thanks so much for all your reviews, I've really enjoyed reading them and been amused by more than a few! *grin* I hope you enjoy! Here we go..**

8

 **HERA WASN'T** really the kind of person who got angry very easily. Sometimes - most of the time, in fact - she could be the most levelheaded person on the crew (aside from Tseebo, at least).

But when Ezra pulled a stunt like _this,_ you really had to cut her some slack.

And her own _droid_ turning against her was just the final fruit atop the jogan cake.

"CHOPPER!" she screamed for the umpteenth time as he again barred her way, whirring his mechanical arms at her. "LET ME _THROUGH!"_

"Wrr wrr wrr!" Chopper shook his electroshock probe at her threateningly.

"Everything I've done for you and _this_ is what I get?!" shouted Hera, enraged. She jumped back to avoid getting zapped and scowled at Chopper, eyes burning with liquid fire. "Where would you be without me?!"

"Wrr wrr," Chopper decided. "Warrp worr wrr!"

 _"You would most certainly NOT be running a self-founded top-line oil company buried in a mountain of your own credits!"_ Hera yelled.

Chopper spun his dome slowly, jerking his arms. "Wrr wrr, wrr wrr..."

Hera arched an eyebrow, scoffing. _"Really._ And pray tell, how does a C1 and an R4 equal five chronos?"

"Wrr, wrr wrr-"

Just then, the entire ship gave a lurch, sending Hera stumbling into Chopper. Gently, he pushed her back up.

"Warr wrr," remarked the battered old droid.

Hera stared down at Chopper, frowning slightly. "But - Chop-" She gave up with a frustrated sigh and pressed a hand to her forehead. "All right... that's definitely true - and when I _do,_ I'm going to box that boy's ears in," she added seethingly, stepping onto the ladder.

"Wrr!" Chopper waved after her cheerfully, turning away.

"And don't you think you can confound me into forgetting about what you've done for a minute," Hera said sharply, pausing to glare downwards. "I'll be back for _you,_ buster."

 _"Fwrrrrrrrrrr,"_ he growled as he rolled out of sight.

"And _watch_ your language!"

:::

Ezra continuously pulled back on the controls, forcing the shuddering Corellian freighter into an ever climbing, nearly 90 degree ascent. A wide cringe was on his face as he listened to Hera screaming just down below the cockpit. _**Please,**_ _Chopper... just a little while longer..._

Why did almost everything somehow end up riding on that cantankerous old garbage can?

Suddenly, as the lilac-hued clouds above broke apart to reveal the starry expanse of space, a loud beeping noise snatched at Ezra's attention. His sapphire gaze flicked across the control board until he spotted the source - a little rectangular button. It was flashing a warning orange light.

 _"That's_ never good!" Ezra yipped, panic stabbing through him. "Ohh, Force - what the heck does it _mean_ \- what do I do, what do I do, what do I-"

 ** _"EZRA BRIDGER!"_**

Ezra screamed and tumbled out of the pilot's seat.

Lying flat on his back on the cold floor, Ezra slowly looked up to find himself staring at an absolutely livid green face.

"Oh," Ezra squeaked. "Hi, Hera."

Gosh, he'd never seen her _lekku_ twitch _that_ way before.

Hera seized him by the front of his shirt and shoved him into the copilot's chair. "Sit," she growled, plopping down into her own. "Don't move, touch _nothing."_

Ezra dipped his head meekly.

Hera took one look at the control board and hissed. _"Great,_ the fuel light's on! _Wasting_ power, _wasting_ credits..." She began to guide the ship back down, dissolving into mutters.

"Uh, Hera," Ezra piped up waveringly.

Hera was silent. Her rage was palpable.

"I-I..." Ezra gulped, staring at her with wide, nervous eyes. "I was trying to go somewhere..."

Hera's _lekku_ flicked. She continued to steer the _Ghost_ gently downwards, much more slowly than he had. He also noticed the freighter wasn't shuddering anymore.

"Somewhere where I could meet a guy who could help us find Kanan," Ezra added hoarsely.

"Go on, then," Hera said in a low, rather cold voice, her eyes fixed on the sky outside.

"..Cloud City," mumbled Ezra. "O-On.. on Bespin."

Hera let that sink in for a moment.

"I see why you didn't talk to me about that first," she said wryly, glancing at him. Anger still flashed on her face. "But this is _my_ ship and _I_ am its captain. You will _not_ go _behind my back_ for _anything_ anymore, young man. Understand?"

"Yes, Hera," Ezra told her solemnly, looking down. "I'm sorry."

Hera's expression softened. "Good. Thank you, Ezra." She sighed and switched the ship into a hover, then stood and glanced at him inquiringly. "So I take it you don't like Ahsoka's plan?"

"No, no, Ahsoka's plan is great! But... I just think that Lando could really help us."

"I see," Hera mused, regarding him. "Why's that?"

"I contacted him after you left," he admitted. "I told him we need to find a bounty hunter. I think Lando could help because he knows the crime world, and he told me that's exactly why he just might be able to." He paused. "Well, more or less. You know how he talks."

Hera nodded thoughtfully. (She thought that it almost looked like his nose had wrinkled when he'd said that.) "All right. I'm going to land so we can refuel." She laid a hand on Ezra's shoulder. "Then I'm going to leave Ahsoka a message and set a course for Bespin."

Ezra looked relieved. It was clear to her that he had real hope in Lando, so she would too.

"And we really need to fill in the others," Hera added softly, her face falling. "They all need to be filled in."

"I'll go do it," Ezra murmured sadly.

Hera nodded faintly and sat back down while Ezra stood and turned to go.

"And, Ezra?"

He paused. "I know, I'm in big trouble." He didn't sound too unhappy - more like he thought that it was more than fair.

"I'll think about that. But I just wanted to say.. stay strong." Hera didn't look back. "We are getting Kanan back, and we're getting him back /soon./ We are _not_ going to let this happen again." _I can't._

"Thanks, Hera," Ezra said quietly. "Believe me, I'm going to do everything I can to stop this."

Hera heard him leave the cockpit and looked down, smiling through her bitter tears.

"I know you will," she whispered, even though he was already gone.

 _You already are._

 _Just please... don't keep trying to do it alone._

:::


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! Dropping back in with another chapter ;D**

 **Specter14 It's so great to see you again! ;-) Thanks for stopping by again. I miss you! And remember that you're the one who let me down the first path of brainstorming up this fanfiction!**

 **Thanks to all of you for your awesome reviews, by the way - I love reading them all! I'll be getting on replying to them all, too - I'm sorry I haven't. I've been caught up with some other things lately, but don't worry, I certainly haven't forgotten you guys!**

 **Oh, and one last thing before I begin this chapter - anybody else seen the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story trailer?! I wasn't always open to the idea of such a different Star Wars movie (mostly I'd hoped that it would be the Rebels cast who would get those plans), but the trailer admittedly has gotten me more excited! Well, come on, me, it's a Star Wars movie. How** ** _couldn't_** **I have been excited?!**

 **But now to begin - here you go!**

9

 **EZRA GATHERED** everyone in the common room. Straight away, of course, they all wanted to know - why? What was going on? Were they under attack?

Ezra quieted them down. He looked at all their faces: their eyes were all focused on him. Filled with questions. Filled with worry.

Five months ago, Ezra himself had gone missing. He'd been subjected to horrors he'd never fully told his friends. Some of them, he couldn't even remember. That was for the best.

But he did know, more than anything, despite all the lost memories forming gaps in his mind and his life - this was his family.

And they had done everything could do to save him; everything they could to help him.

Ezra watched them in silence. As bitter tears rolled down his face, their questions redoubled. Afraid now. Concerned. Desperate.

Kanan had been captured before, too - not just Ezra. Kanan had already gone through so much pain. And he'd sacrificed himself to that for them.

Now... it was all happening again- all over again.

 _They don't deserve this._

Ezra's family crowded around him as he lost control and began to hopelessly sob.

:::

They were gone now.

The room was dark.

It was over. But they could come back at any time.

Kanan's eyes flickered open. He lifted his head slightly and bit back a groan. He had to be silent; the pain couldn't matter.

And Kanan had a much higher tolerance for it than most people, but _kriff,_ that Seventh Sister lady sucked. Forget Tarkin, the Inquisitor and Agent Kallus - she was even worse. She didn't stop at creepy little droids or cruel whispers in his ear. Se utilized the Force like even the Inquisitor hadn't on him. She didn't seem at all concerned for his sanity, that was for sure. The Seventh Sister used all her power to burn her way into his mind, to pry it open and pick his memories apart like fyrnocks through a rotting carcass. She didn't care about what he could reveal through speech when she had a potentially much more accurate way to learn what she wanted. It was all Kanan could do to resist that while she taunted him out loud and electrocuted him with her horrid little "pets", at the same time taking obvious delight in her work.

Yeah, Kanan hated her.

And he knew that he wouldn't be able to pull through if she came back to do that again. (And oh, she would.) To make matters even worse, this time around, Kanan actually did know rebel secrets the Empire would literally kill to learn.

Kanan set his jaw in determination.

 _I have to get out of here._

He thought about his crew. Ezra. Hera.

 _We can't... we can't go through this again._

Kanan squeezed his eyes shut, remembering five months ago - imagining all of those tragedies happening a second time.. but without him. He saw his crew suffering, miserable, struggling through everything to find him, all over again.

 _They don't deserve this._

Tears brimmed in his eyes, stinging. No. He quickly shook his head with a grimace. _No, I can't think about any of that. I need to get out. I_ have _to get out._

But how? Every limb, every inch of him ached with an indescribable pain. His head was hammering. He felt frayed inside, battered almost to pieces, like his very mind might break apart should someone shake him. He sure as heck couldn't break out of this place - wherever exactly he was - even if he could somehow, miraculously get out of the upright table he was oh so comfortably strapped to. Even thinking about an escape plan kind of hurt. Kanan mused that was kind of ingenious. _No, Kanan, don't start complimenting the enemy, they suck. Now_ THINK.

Kanan brainstormed as hard as he could. Two or three minutes slowly dragged themselves by - or maybe an hour, who could tell? But however long it was, Kanan finally came to a conclusion.

It was radical. It was nuts. It was your typical Kanan plan. And that meant that the odds were stacked really, _really_ high above him.

Typical indeed.

But _of course_ he was still going to do it.

Kanan lifted his head weakly and grinned into the darkness.

Which little instrument of torture wanted to be his new friend first?...

:::

 **Don't worry, you guys, there's a much better chapter coming up soon! ;D Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks so much, Azula! :D I thought there was a lot of Ezra and Hera adorableness in Chapter 8 (despite the threats xD), and I'm really glad you enjoyed it!**

 **Wait, wait... hello - what's** ** _this?!_** **MUSE?!**

10

 **IT MAY** have been too dark for Kanan to see, and he may have been feeling pretty terrible after his little friend-making session with that incredibly sucky Seventh Sister lady, but those things were inconsequential as long as he still had the Force.

Kanan closed his eyes and reached out to it with his throbbing, moth-eaten mind. There it was, instantly jumping to his aid. He allowed it to flush through him, gently muffling all the aches his new friend had left him with. It felt like a douse in a tank of bacta, almost. Kanan sighed faintly as the Force filled him with a little extra strength.

Then he slowly lifted the fingers of his right hand. It was about as much movement as he was allowed, since all his limbs were barred down, but it was enough.

Kanan focused, extending the Force towards the counters he knew encircled the room. He sensed it at once as a little syringe left on the counter responded with a twitch.

"Cooome _onnn..."_ Kanan grunted under his breath, concentrating even harder. It was all the way across the room and he was still weak, despite how the Force had boosted him. Even the Force couldn't really cause Kanan to pass up a good forty winks sometimes, especially after an inquisitor had been trying to probe around inside his brain all afternoon. But he didn't have time to sleep. Even now, he swore he could hear footsteps coming down the hall outside -

Kanan dropped his efforts instantly as the door sprang open, flooding the pitch-black room with cold artificial light. He looked up wearily, squinting and groggy, taking on the guise of someone who was barely awake and _certainly_ hadn't been doing anything fishy or naughty at all.

He felt a little ping of surprise when he saw it was only a stormtrooper - attended by a delightful pair of fun size probe droids. Kanan's heart sunk like a meteor striking the oceans of Mon Cala at the sight of them, but he quickly swallowed his alarm before it showed on his face. _Dang,_ he hated those things.

"Uhrm.. hi... there," Kanan managed, doing his best to sound delirious, exhausted, and slurred, like the sedatives hadn't quite worn off. All he really had to do was look back on his drinker days. It was surprisingly hard; he suddenly realized that he had really come a huge way since then.

"Keep your trap shut, prisoner," snapped the stormtrooper, marching in with the droids floating after him. "I don't wanna have to shut it for you."

Kanan got the feeling that the stormtrooper would also like to dance through a sunny flower meadow with him.

"Right, sorry.." he mumbled vaguely. "Sorry, sorry..."

The stormtrooper shook his head in a way that suggested he'd rolled his eyes, then stopped in front of Kanan, reaching towards his bonds. The two probe droids looked down, warbling as they analyzed every movement.

Kanan watched while trying not to seem like he was really watching. The droids made him want to shiver - no doubt about it, they were two of the Seventh Sister's wretched little babies, and she was almost certainly smirking at him through their creepy photoreceptors. He'd have to act fast, and that wasn't going to be easy.

The stormtrooper shoved a bracing hand against one of Kanan's shoulders as he deactivated the band that was pinned across the Jedi's chest. It was really hard for Kanan not to wince. Still pressing on him, the stormtrooper reached across to remove the straps on Kanan's farthest arm, then the nearest.

"Stand there," the stormtrooper ordered, regarding Kanan warily. It was always a nice feeling when a stormtrooper bought your ploy.

"Mmf.. yeah..." Kanan murmured past the heavy slur in his voice. Hopefully it didn't sound _too_ heavy. He didn't _think_ it did.. but hey, he was a Jedi, not an actor. And honestly, it wasn't that difficult for him to pretend to be out for the count. Aforementioned reasons aside, he'd had lots of practice.

The stormtrooper stared at him for an extra moment to make sure Kanan was going to stay somewhat stable (Kanan tried to act a little wobbily for extra validity), then removed his hand from the prisoner's shoulder and bent over to free Kanan's legs from the table. He had yet to notice the needle on the counter that was slowly rising into the air.

Kanan waited a second for the stormtrooper to finish, then, very loudly, said, **"Huh."**

The stormtrooper straightened and looked at him irritably. "What?"

"It's funny... you never really see that kind of behavior in needles."

The stormtrooper stared at him a little harder, just stunned. _"Wha?"_

He followed Kanan's thoughtfully bemused gaze, too late. The syringe zinged through the air to stab into the side of stormtrooper's neck.

The probe droids whirled around, following the motion they detected as the stormtrooper let out the most bloodcurdling, high-pitched scream Kanan had ever heard out of a man. Kanan barked out a startled laugh before shoving the droids into the stormtrooper's way. The Imperial silently fell forward like a chopped tree, crushing them beneath him scarcely before they were able to utter an alarmed chitter.

Kanan stepped forward onto the floor, biting back a groan. The predominant urge was to topple over and join the unfortunate trooper for a snooze, but he was in too much of a hurry. Drawing on the Force once more, Kanan sprang for the door, then out into the hall, calling behind him with another laugh: "Have a good sleep!"

:::

 **That was incredibly fun to write, and I was extremely excited to post it xDD Just like old times! Thanks for reading, guys, I hope you enjoyed this, and I can't wait to see what you think! ;D**


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's a new chapter, guys! I've missed you, Specter14, and all of you, and writing this! Sorry it's been so long DX Chapter 11 is waay overdue, but here it is!**

11

 **KANAN REALIZED** almost right away that something was horribly wrong.

He skidded to a halt and stared all around him.

There were no stormtroopers.

There was no inquisitor waiting outside to knock him back with an amused taunt of _Nice try, but you lose. Thanks for entertaining me!_

There was nothing.

Kanan's heart slowly sank as his cyan eyes surveyed everything about his surroundings. There wasn't a single guard in sight. Not even someone just passing by...

He squeezed his eyes shut, almost letting out a growl of frustration. It had been so obvious.. but he'd been so lost in the bolt of hope, hope that he could get out - desperate hope.

He didn't know why.

But they _wanted_ him to escape.

:::

Hera switched off the holocom, having docked the _Ghost_ again and left Ahsoka a message. She rose from her chair with a sigh, then turned and left the cockpit. A bounty of worried and generally unhappy thoughts were pressing against every side of her mind, but she did her best to push them away. She had to refuel the _Ghost._ That was all she wanted to think about right now.

Hera made a beeline for the cargo hold and lifted up a fuel canister with a grunt. Wow, those were heavy, and big. She'd have to make a couple trips - and found herself missing not just Zeb, but Kanan. It hit her with an extra pang - how Kanan would have teased her and laughed before hefting the canister out of her arms and briefly meeting her eyes with a gentle smile.

Hera was barely aware of the tears stinging her eyes. She could almost see him, close to her. She could almost hear his loud, mischievous laugh.

Hera blinked and shook her head, shaking herself out of her daydream. _Stop it, Hera. We'll get him back soon. Everything will be okay._

That was just what she told herself. Deep inside her chest, she was screaming. _I can't do this again! I could have stopped this from happening! Why did all of this have to happen?_

Hera took one step forward and stopped again, bitterly squeezing her eyes shut as tears rolled down her face.

 _Pull yourself together._

 _This isn't what Kanan knows you'll do. He knows that you are going to stand up straight, wipe off your tears, and be strong enough for everyone to get through._

 _Kanan knows I'm not going to give up and break down. He knows I'm going to search for him, and he knows I can do it. I_ can _do this again. I'm strong enough._

Hera lifted her head, familiar determination rising back to glitter in her eyes. Silently, she headed over to the entry ramp, pressed the button, and watched as it slowly began to hiss open. Soft light from outside filtered in, falling across Hera's expression of durasteel.

Nothing was going to knock her down - not even losing someone she loved for the third time, and Kanan for the second.

But even if she did, even though he was gone, Kanan would still always pick her back up.


	12. Chapter 12

12

 **REFUELING THE** _Ghost_ wasn't a huge task, but it was hard work when you had to do it by yourself. Hera didn't mind; in fact, she rather enjoyed the chance to focus on working in the semi-quiet of the docking bay. It might even provide her with some time to organize her thoughts and come up with a game plan.

Hera carried the fuel canister outside, struggling to see past it as she did so, then heavily set it on the ground. "Phew," she muttered, then approached the _Ghost's_ stern to start prepping for refuel.

The only, single thing she hated about her wonderful ship: she was just a little too short to reach the fuel tank's access panel.

Hera growled and stood on her toes as high as she could, stretching her arms and managing to switch the panel on. Once that was done, she had to tap in the verification code -

..but her fingers couldn't quite manage to hit the right keys, resulting in several failed entries and a very angry jerk of Hera's _lekku._ She gave up with an annoyed hiss and walked back around the ship, then began to drag the fuel canister again in order to use it as a stepping stool.

"Looks like someone could use a little help, mm?"

Hera froze, her eyes narrowing instantly. The voice had come from behind her - and, she realized... she had heard it before. Her heart beat faster with fear even as she fought to stay calm.

The man behind Hera laughed. "Aw, whassa matter? Did you see me on the Holonet or something?"

"Yes," Hera said stiffly, slowly turning around to stare at him.

She had never seen him in person, and it was both startling and terrifying to see him leaning there against the wall. His light brown eyes regarded her evenly, a lopsided smile twitching at his lips. (Hera hated that instantly. She happened to know someone who smiled like that all the time - only he was much more handsome than this man when he did.) His dark hair had been grown out from its formerly shaved style, his face was now suntanned and rugged with stubble, and he of course wore different clothing now, but the image displayed in the Holonet warning report from several years before were still shockingly clear in her mind.

"Which one was it?" the man inquired, watching her closely. "As far as I'm aware, they still do put out the random sighting podcast."

"I'm sure you're not here to talk to me about your grand infamy," Hera snapped slightly, her emerald eyes burning into him. "Why are you here, how did you find out about us, and what do you want?"

He raised an eyebrow slightly. "So testy." He straightened and stretched, then smirked at Hera. "Vizago warned me about you. But, seeing as you're the only one of your little rebel crew out here at the moment-"

Hera's eyes widened with anger. _"Vizago?..._ why am I not surprised."

"Oh, yes," the man mused with a rather infuriating smile, chuckling. "I do business with Vizago quite often. After all, it's not your average everyday citizen who's interested in selling a kyber crystal, now is it?" His watchful gaze flicked back to hers.

Hera's jaw dropped as she struggled for words, her hands, already balled into fists, squeezing even tighter. "Th-that - was _you?_ You're the one who Vizago sold the -"

"Yep," he said with a yawn. "Any more questions?"

"Yes," growled Hera after a long, infuriated moment. "I don't believe you ever got to why you're here.. _Starkiller."_

"Call me Galen," Galen Marek corrected with a faint smile. "And the answer to that is a rather easy one: I'm here because you need me." His infinitesimal smile grew into a big grin.

Hera's eyes immediately narrowed again. "...What do you mean?"

"Allow me to elaborate," he said cheerily. "A friend of Vizago's happened to be intercepting certain com transmissions to certain vessels," Galen informed her, still with that incredibly irritating, smug grin on his face. "And that friend happened to catch one that recently left your lovely freighter."

Hera groaned, pressing her hands to her forehead.

"And I happened to be buying some fine-quality black market detonators from Vizago earlier this morning, and he happened to mention he'd gotten some new intel recently - so after a nice pouch of curiosity credits shifted pockets, well, here I am." Galen was still grinning. "I thought I might as well offer you some help, since your funny band is the reason why I got a lovely new crystal for my lightsaber five months back." He unclipped a hilt that was extremely different from Kanan's from his belt and gave it a twirl between his fingers. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"We didn't... we didn't know it would be going to you," Hera muttered, staring at him again. Her eyes were steel.

"It wouldn't have mattered," Galen said, almost smugly. "You would have done it if it had gone to the Emperor himself."

Hera opened her mouth, face going blank. _Would we?..._

"Anyway, please, let's cut to the chase, shall we?" Galen strode over to her. Hera snapped back to attention, backing away as he slowly followed her. "The information I bought, obviously, was that you've recently lost a crewmember again..." Hera's back quickly met the side of the Ghost and her eyes lit up in panic as Galen stood directly before her, grinning down. "And trust me... I'm just the man to find him."

"I-I don't trust you at _all!"_ Hera exclaimed, looking up in anger and alarm. "And w-why should I?! You're a criminal, an assassin - a _murderer-!"_

Galen winced. "The last two... not anymore," he murmured, meeting her eyes. "I'm trying to atone for what I've done before... as much as I possibly can. I'm a rebel now... like you. There is nothing I hate more than the Empire."

Hera's expression of suspicion barely budged. But he seemed sincere-

 _He isn't._

 _It's a trick._

"They took everything from me.." His dark eyes burned. "My parents, my life, my future, who I wanted to be. Please, Hera - let me help you."

He took Hera's shoulder and she flinched, staring back at him hard.

"Trust me."

 **STARKILLEEEEERRRRRR~~~**

 **Will Hera trust Galen? Is Galen all he promises he is? DOESN'T ANY OF THIS SEEM A LITTLE STRANGE TO YOU?!**

 **The answers to all this and more... in future chapters to come xD Until then, here's some awesome writers you should check out! They're so awesome and they haven't gotten the fanloving they deserve!**

 **VStarTraveler**

 **StarWarsNerd101**

 **XoversGalore**

 **Thank you! ;D I hope you enjoyed!**


	13. Chapter 13

**First of all, happy (early) Fourth of July, you guys! I hope you all have a really fun time tomorrow.**

 **Second of all - it's summer break for me now, and you know what that means! STORY UPDATES GALORE! Here, there, and everywhere, I'll be posting new stuff, updating old stuff, and probably fangirling a ton along the way! I have really missed this story and all you guys. But you guys miiight just wish I was still doing school as Chasing Your Shadow progresses. I have plans, you guys. Biiig plans. Plans that shall make this as different from Fire Across the Galaxy as possible. PLANS THAT SHALL QUITE CRUELLY RIP MY CHARACTERS' (and readers') HEARTS TO SHREDS!**

 **I'm sorry, you guys. Really, I am. Maybe I'm exaggerating! After all, we're talking about the future here, and you guys know how stories like to take their own paths. All we're doing is just writing them down as they come.**

 **But you guys did all read Ezra Lost. And to be honest, guys, I'm disappointed with this story. It's almost halfhearted to me. Ezra Lost was so, so much better. I couldn't possibly outdo the tale that started this one.**

 **So, of course, I intend to fix that. ;) Buckle up, my friends, and bring your tissues and popcorn with you.**

13

 **THE SEVENTH** Sister stared intently at the security feeds through the front of her helmet, watching as the Jedi ran from hall to hall. He seemed to be heading to the closest docking bay aboard as had been theorized.

The inquisitor leaned back in her chair with an irritated sigh. "Remind me again what the point of this is, your greatness. With all due respect, this all appears without one to me."

The Pau'an that loomed behind her did not take his golden eyes off of the screens. They glowed through the darkness of the room, emotionless, calculating. "Do not fear, Sister. I have long planned out this Jedi's every movement, every action, and those of his... persistent rebel cell. There is no room for error in this plan, and thus there is none."

The Seventh Sister internally rolled her eyes. "It seems that you are allowing the Jedi to escape. Considering as he is the leader of his cell, would it not be wiser for me to continue playing with him and then eventually slit his throat? Once he is dead, I will have gathered all the information there is to be had from his brain, and his _persistent_ little friends will fall apart. He'd be an excellent example, especially considering your previous-"

The Seventh Sister gagged as an invisible iron grip abruptly cut her off. She clutched at her throat, struggling vainly to free herself from something that was not truly there.

"Remember your place, Sister," the Grand Inquisitor said flatly, still watching the tiny figure that was Kanan dart from feed to feed. "And your dispensability."

The Seventh Sister slumped forward against the control board, gasping raggedly and shaking as air flowed into her lungs again. With a flick of his hand, the Inquisitor threw her back into her chair so she wouldn't disturb the controls.

His red-rimmed gaze intensified only further as he continued to regard Kanan Jarrus' every move, the Seventh Sister's efforts to regain her breath falling deaf on his hypersensitive, cap-protected ears.

"This is all one part of a series of interlinked stratagems that you could never hope to understand and are forbidden to hear."

The Inquisitor's face was devoid of any feeling, just as it always was. There would be know way to know what horrible things he had devised within his mind.

"Your only duty is to follow my orders and ensure that it occurs perfectly... and watch as it does."

:::

It didn't matter.

It was glaringly obvious that the Imperials were planning something much bigger than him. Kanan was simply one of their very many chesspieces, a holographic monster in a round of Dejarik, his movements ever so carefully controlled by a touch of the Grand Inquisitor's finger.

No doubt, Kanan was even being watched. Surely there were cameras everywhere, following him like the hidden eyes of the Emperor. They were scattered throughout the galaxy, hidden in every crack, crevice, alleyway, and bar. Not even Zaluna wouldn't have been able to shield him from their gaze today.

 _Zaluna._ Kanan was glad she wasn't a part of this sick game anymore.

Kanan sprinted down hall after all. He skidded around corners, raced across immense, empty rooms, and rode up and down maddeningly slow lifts, which were even creepier without the background music. Star Destroyers - he was surely aboard one - were huge, but they were all the same. Finding his way to a docking bay inside of one was a simple matter of memory and hope.

Hope seemed pretty useless right about now, but it was all Kanan had left, aside from the unflattering orange clothes on his back. He had to get out of here, no matter what awful things the inquisitors had in mind. And whatever they thought, they couldn't predict everything Kanan did. That was surely impossible. He would find a way back to his friends. He would find a way, regardless of what was put in his. And no inquisitor would ever see that coming.

The latest lift Kanan had taken finally went still and its doors hissed open. Kanan, his face a mask of cold determination, jumped out into the open - and his eyes were greeted by a sight he had never, ever, EVER found to be so beautiful.

Lo and behold, before him was a docking bay - filled with an entire fleet of glorious, glorious TIE fighters.

:::

 **Tell me what you think, you guys! Any suggestions you might have to improve CYS, shoot 'em my way. (Yes, yes, I'm getting to Lando. xD) And what's going to happen next? What do YOU think is going on in that pinstriped Pau'an head of Inky's? What's going to happen to Kanan and the others? Is Starkiller really going to stay true to his word? Will Ezra ever be able to use the Force again? And why the heck did the Inquisitor just ditch his precious, long-sought-for apprentice way back in Ezra Lost? I have a feeling that it wasn't just to save his own butt...**

 **See you guys again real soon,**

 **Arty~**


	14. Chapter 14

14

 **GALEN MAREK** had that insufferable smirk on his face once more as Hera led him straight to the common room ( _lekku_ pointed sharply into her back). Ezra was still there, bent over the Dejarik table as he murmured quietly back and forth with the others. His ebony bangs cascaded over his face, obscuring it from view. His words were spoken in a voice too low to be heard from the entryway.

They were all so deep in thought that they might have never noticed Hera and a strange man standing in it, had that man not opened his mouth.

"Hi there," he said cheerfully, offering a cheeky wave. "My name is Galen, and I'll be helping you guys out while you try to find your Jedi friend. I heard he got captured. Er, again. Yikes, am I right?!" He laughed a little nervously.

Hera almost screamed.

They all looked up, aside from Ezra, who merely went silent. Zeb's ears slid back as he stared back at Galen, immediately taking a severe dislike to the scruffy-looking nerfherder.

"Uhh, Hera," he said, slowly raising a brow very, very high. His expression seemed to say You found a new boyfriend very, very quickly.

"Who's that?" asked Sabine hoarsely, her dark eyes wary.

Tseebo, who, of course, was standing beside Sabine, was slowly getting a very not so happy, incredibly petrified look on his face.

Galen just stood there grinning at them, like if he just kept doing that, it would soon win them all over.

"I know what you're all thinking," Hera said in a tone of extremely fake calm, shooting Zeb a look. "And," she muttered, her voice becoming very resigned, "I certainly don't know what _I_ was."

Zeb lifted his hand, still staring. "Erm, is this scrawny little nerf seriously gonna be joining this crew? 'Cause if so, I'd like to object."

"Tseebo also objects," Tseebo announced, rigid with terror, his voice quavering.

Sabine tried to object too but sneezed into her elbow.

Hera sighed. "I'm sorry.. all of you. I didn't... I never meant to make a decision like this without the consent of the team. But-"

"-I'm stubborn, awesome, and far too incredible to turn down," Galen piped up with a huge grin on his face.

Zeb's was entirely unconvinced.

"Don't worry, guys," Galen continued, leaning against the wall as Hera scowled beside him. "You'll be glad I'm here."

Slowly, Ezra lifted his raven-haired head, turning his brilliant dark blue eyes onto Galen like all the others.

Stiffness crept along Galen's body as he slid his gaze to Ezra's. His eyes widened and his face turned deathly pale, mouth half open but vacant of words.

"We don't need your help," Ezra growled coldly, unblinking. "And we don't _want_ it."

Galen barely seemed to hear him. He shuddered, finally stirring. His nose was crinkled, his eyes struck with horror. "W-w-what..." he stammered, repulsed and deeply disturbed. _"Happened_ to you..."

Ezra's expression grew even harder. He didn't deign to reply to him, however, and merely looked away once more. _"Go."_

The others stared incredulously. Hera's face was sharp with concern as she looked from Starkiller - to Ezra- _what -_

Galen steeled himself, straightening. He pulled himself quickly back together to almost glare at Ezra. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not scared of some kid." His eyes softened slightly. "But you should be afraid of what you've done to yourself. I can sense it. It's.. it's _wrong."_

Ezra was silent for a moment. His friends looked at him, but were unable to see past the dark, messy bangs.

"I told you to go."

Galen's eyebrows furrowed together a little deeper. Before he could say a word, Ezra spoke again.

"I might not be able to sense like what you've sensed with me anymore, whatever it is. But I don't need the Force to tell me that you can't be trusted." Ezra rose from his chair, whipping around abruptly to stare threateningly at the man. "So for the _last_ time, you had better get out."

"You're making a mistake," Galen warned quietly. "I could help you _find_ him. Whatever you've done to drive the Force away from you, you now have no way to contact your master, or to feel if he's around. And you certainly have no way to fight off any trouble you might meet along the way. These are both things that I could do easily. Let me -"

Ezra stepped a little closer. Galen flinched, then merely turned on his heel and strolled out the doorway.

Ezra stood still. The whole room, in fact, was unmoving. Everyone stared at Ezra Bridger in stunned disbelief.

After a long moment, Ezra finally took his eyes off of the doorway and turned to the others as though nothing had happened at all. "All right, now as I was saying, once we're on Bespin and find Lando..."

As the others emerged from their shaky silence, Hera quietly turned away and walked after Galen. She needed to see him out.

Galen, however, was nowhere in sight. He had certainly made short work of his exit.

Or so it seemed.

Narrowing her eyes, Hera tracked down Chopper. "Hey, Chop?"

"Bzzawrp?" Chopper rotated his dome towards her from where he had been looking at one of Sabine's paintings on the wall. Hera internally rolled her eyes. Of _course_ the painting was of him.

"I need you to take a good look around the _Ghost._ Inside. Outside. Make sure there's nothing... where it doesn't belong." Hera kept her voice low as she leaned down and patted the Astromech. "Can you do that?"

"Wapp _warrp_ warrr!" Chopper exclaimed, nudging her hand away with one of his arms before rolling around her and off on his way. _"Wrrr wrr wrr."_

Hera rolled her eyes for real. "Just tell me if you find anything, alright?!"

"Warrr! Wrr wrr! _Pffffrrrrr."_

 _"Chopper!_ Watch your binary!"

:::

Galen was a little big to be crammed inside a ventilation shaft. But you had to do what you had to do.

"Yeah, it was disturbing," he muttered into his comlink, which was rather painful to hold when he had to press his elbow hard against metal to do so. _"Real_ disturbing. It was like - like a void of just - _wrongness_ around the kid." His eyes narrowed abruptly. "You wouldn't happen to have-"

 _"Don't worry about that, Galen."_ The feminine voice emitted from the device was crackling; she must've been really far away. Galen rolled his eyes, taking that to mean it had been too confidential for her to know - if she had anything to do with it at all. He had no idea. And he didn't like any of this. _"Just keep an eye on them."_

The voice from the comlink changed to a male one. _"These orders come from the top, you know."_ There was definitely a smirk in his tone. Galen scowled silently; how he hated Boba Fett. The fodder-kissing brat was far too much like himself. _"Remember, you back outta this - no money, and more problems."_

Galen bit back a sigh. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, then began to whine. "But how long does that mean I'll have to be stuck in this shaft?! I'm a grown man, for the Force's sake! And what am I going to eat? _Where am I gonna-"_

"I dunno, _find your_ own _solutions!"_

 _"You sure don't_ sound _like a grown man,"_ he just barely heard Shadow mutter in the background.

Boba laughed. _"You know your job, Galen! Get it done, and get it done right."_ He lowered his voice into a growl. _"Or_ else. _I'm not gonna get blamed for your screwups,_ Starkiller. _So I suggest you keep me in mind."_

"Sure thing, Boba," Galen said dryly, dripping sarcasm as he flicked back his hair. "Should be a piece of jogan fruit cake. I think about you _allll_ the time. Your pretty face is just one of a kind."

It was Shadow's turn to start laughing (loudly) as Boba growled again. The signal clicked out, leaving Galen alone in the darkness with his sour thoughts of Boba Fett.

What irony that he had wound up working for some dumb bounty hunter he should completely outrank. In fact, it was EXTREMELY ironic, given all the money Boba had snatched from him over all the years...

 _Oh, I'll keep you in mind,_ Galen thought darkly, gazing down into the empty shaft below. _Because when this is all over, I'm finally coming for you, Boba Fett._

His deep brown eyes softened slightly, unreadable as they continued to stare at the black void beneath him.

No matter how everything plays out.

:::

 **I hope you liked this new chapter! ;D Thank you all for your reviews. I make sure to reply to them all! You too, VST! I don't know if you read my replies, but I would love it if you replied! I miss you. =)**

 **Now, for my fellow Gravity Falls nerds who might be out there. DeCipher (-cheesy grin-) this for a joke that came to me after writing this chapter! xDD**

(Hyphens indicate spaces between separate numbers)

8-5-'-19 19-20-9-12-12 9-14 20-8-5 22-5-14-20-19

 **Tell me what you translated it to, let me know if you need a hint, and tell me if there are any mistakes in it - I enciphered it myself!**

 **Have fun! ;D**

 **\- Artemis**


	15. Bonus Chapter: No Longer the Same

**Wonderful to see you again, Specter14, and it's absolutely fine! ;D I hope you've been enjoying the story you highly inspired.**

 **Alex, you're right! ;D That's the deciphered code.**

 **We've capped 100 reviews, and our 100th reviewer was StarlightMoonMidnight! I asked her if she had any ideas for CYS's very first, celebratory bonus chapter, and - here it is! ;D It takes place just after the end of Ezra Lost. The entire crew is exhausted from their search, and now that they finally have Ezra back, they can sleep.**

 **Well... most of them can.**

15

Bonus Chapter: No Longer the Same

 **KANAN'S ROOM** had been dark since he had gone to bed five hours before, but his mind had never stopped churning.

After a desperate search that had seemed to last forever, the crew of the _Ghost_ finally had Ezra Bridger back. The boy, Kanan's Padawan, had vanished mere days before. His master had sent him on his first solo mission. And after he left, he never came back the same.

Kanan's angular eyebrows were scrunched together as he sat on the floor and just thought. He had already rethought everything several times over. Now he was scrutinizing everything - all the little details that had fallen away in all the chaos. _What,_ exactly, had the Inquisitor done to Ezra to change him so drastically in so little time? Just the fact that it was _possible_ to do something like that to him so quickly...

For the umpteenth time, Kanan's mind flashed back to Fort Anaxes. It was like a broken holo. No matter what, his train of thought always circled back around to that horrible day. The day when he had witnessed firsthand the seed of darkness in Ezra's heart - and Ezra's terrifying potential.

The Inquisitor, too, had witnessed it. Not only that, he had _caused_ it - he had goaded Ezra on to unleash his rage and fear to fight back. And while Ezra had saved his and Kanan's lives because of the massive creature he had summoned through the Dark Side, Kanan had wondered over and over since then about how things could have gone differently. Maybe he could have somehow gotten the Inquisitor to face him alone, far, far away from Ezra. If only he were a better master - or a true Jedi - he might have been able to defeat the Inquisitor instead of the other way around. Then he could have just grabbed Ezra and left. Ezra would never have been forced to awaken something dark inside of him.

Kanan's eyes squeezed more tightly closed. _If I were a better master, none of this would have happened at all. I should never have sent him out on that op. I hated doing that in the first place. Why couldn't I have just listened to myself?! Or known right away what had happen, then I might have been able to get him back sooner, and then-_

A thunderous knock on Kanan's door ripped him out of his miserable brooding. Kanan's eyes flew open and he leapt to his feet with a shriek.

"Kanan?" came a gruff voice outside the door. "There's a girl in there with you? Sorry, I'll-"

Kanan rolled his eyes and strode forward, opening the door with a press of a button. Zeb Orrelios filled the hallway outside.

"You look awful," noted Zeb.

"You don't look much better," Kanan retorted, his voice sharp with lack of sleep. "I take it you haven't been able to sleep either?"

Zeb's ears twitched and then flattened as he glared down at his friend. "Yeah. That's why I came to get you."

Kanan stared up at him dully. "If you're having nightmares, it's probably because you drank too much bantha milk." He yawned and leaned against the doorway limply. "I don't know what they put in that stuff to keep it fresh as long as it does, but I wish Lothal would just get some banthas here... I mean.. it's colder... banthas have so much fur..."

"Prolly hair, actually," Zeb muttered, scratching the back of his head. "But that's beside the point. Like a lot. _I'm_ not having nightmares, Kanan. Ezra is."

"Ezra?" Kanan looked up, his dark-rimmed eyes widening - and they stretched even wider as Zeb abruptly seized him by the front of his shirt and jerked him half off his feet.

"I _can't._ _Sleep,"_ Zeb snarled softly into Kanan's face. Kanan winced, not having cared to know that Zeb had been too tired to remember to brush his teeth. _"Get_ in there, sing him a lullaby, read him a bedtime story - I don't care. Because if you _don't..."_ he growled, lifting Kanan all the way off the ground and making him squeak. Zeb pressed his furry forehead into Kanan's. "Then I'll have a story to tell Hera about how you opened up the airlock and stepped out into space because you confused it for the bathroom."

 _"Okay,"_ Kanan whispered shrilly. "Okay, okay. You need your sleep, big guy, I got it." He patted Zeb's shoulder, his feet waving helplessly beneath him. "I'll go make sure you get some, just - just put me down-"

Zeb dropped him like a sack of jogans and then turned to stomp off, muttering deliriously about stupid Jedi and bantha hair.

Kanan picked himself back up, his eyes still wide, then scrambled after Zeb.

:::

Zeb was already waiting in the cabin he shared with Ezra before Kanan got there (despite his hurry). Immediately he looked up at the top bunk, where Ezra was tossing and turning underneath several heavy quilts. (Hera was really worried about him being cold, considering he'd barely been alive when they'd fished him out of subzero ocean waters earlier that day. Kanan had insisted that he was warmed up now and had barely been able to escape Ezra's blanket-smothered fate.)

Ezra was talking in his sleep. There was a high note of fear in his voice as he muttered.

"I don't have anything to tell you." Kanan could just barely make out what he was saying. "I don't. You'll never... _no._ Who... who is... _get.. s-stop it- no!"_

Kanan stared at his fitfully sleeping Padawan with a long shadow falling across his face.

"He's been like this on and off for hours, and if he's not talking, he's still rolling back and forth in his bed," Zeb grumped to Kanan. "I tried to get him to wake up a couple times, but it's like he can't even hear me. And the floor in the hallway is very cold."

Kanan resisted the urge to say lots of things in response to that as he walked over to the bunks, shaking his head. _Oh, Ezra. I don't know what I can do for you..._

Just as Kanan came closer, Ezra screamed. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" he yelled in terror, then yelped as he tumbled straight over the side of his bed.

"Whoa!" Kanan zipped to one side and caught Ezra in his arms before he could hit the floor. Kanan stared down to find his Padawan staring up at him, his sapphire eyes stretched wide in fear and confusion.

"W-W-W-Where-" he stammered, glancing around wildly. "Where am I - _who-"_

"Ezra," Kanan said softly, sitting him down on the edge of Zeb's bed. "You're home. It's.. it's okay."

"It's _not_ okay!" Ezra cried out abruptly, shuddering. He looked up at Kanan, tears rolling onto his face. Kanan could tell just by looking into his eyes that Ezra was still halfway somewhere else - and the man he saw before him was not his master. "Don't let him come back! _Please!_ I _know_ he's going to come back!"

"Who?" Kanan asked, his alarm only skyrocketing as he knelt down and took hold of Ezra's shoulders. His Padawan had dissolved into listless sobbing. "Ezra. _Ezra,_ come back to me... wake up." He gently shook him.

Behind him, Kanan heard the door open and close. Zeb had gone, just not knowing what to do for his best friend.

There was nothing he could do. It was solely up to Kanan right then.

 _I need to stop thinking about what I shouldn't have done... and start thinking more about what I_ should _do._

 _"Ezra!"_ Kanan shook him harder. "Hey!"

Ezra slowly, hesitantly lifted his head. His gaze was beginning to clear as he looked at Kanan in even more confusion. "I..." His eyebrows met and he squinted faintly. "Kanan?"

"Yes, Ezra, it's me," Kanan said, sagging in relief. His grip loosened on Ezra's shoulders, but he didn't let go. He stared into Ezra's tearful face, still extremely concerned. "Are you..."

Kanan didn't finish that question. No. Ezra wasn't okay, and it would be some time before he was, if he ever would be again.

"I-I'm sorry, Kanan," Ezra stuttered, looking down at the floor. "I- I was-"

"-having a nightmare, I know." Kanan tilted his head to gaze directly into his eyes. "Do you... want to tell me about it?"

Ezra stared back at him, falling silent. He was still shivering uncontrollably underneath Kanan's fingers.

"You don't have to," Kanan murmured. "It's solely up to you."

Ezra sighed shakily. "A-alright. I.. I've got a lot to tell you. That I should tell you. About... about what happened to me..."

Kanan nodded slowly, rose, then sat beside him. "Okay," he said, still speaking calmly. "Tell me whatever you want. I'm here to listen."

And so Ezra told him. He started out slowly. And then it all came pouring out of him. Several times, Ezra couldn't bite them back any more and burst into tears. When he did, Kanan was right there to hug him - as tightly as he could, as though that could take it all away.

Ezra told Kanan how the Inquisitor and an army of Imperials had all been waiting for him at the docking bay. He had tried to escape, but they surrounded him. The Inquisitor toyed with him - allowing him to fight before crushing him with ease and taking him prisoner. When Ezra woke up, he was strapped to a cold table, which held him there as the Inquisitor talked to him. He'd had no memory of what had happened at first, but it was coming back in a rush as the Inquisitor finished his chat and silenced him with electricity.

After that, for most of the next day or whatever time had passed in that dark room - it had felt like forever was slowly dripping by - he was left alone. Until the Inquisitor returned - and not by himself.

"He was _with_ someone," Ezra whispered faintly, his voice hollow as he hugged himself. "Someone - someone who wasn't even... I... I don't know what he _was._ His voice, it wasn't human. And - and he didn't have... a face. Just a mask. He had a black mask that stared right into me, and even though I couldn't see him when he came in, I - I _felt_ it." Ezra's voice grew even quieter as he stared straight ahead, not at the wall but at a scene that only he could see. "He... he made everything... _cold..."_

Kanan, too, grew cold, as though the hidden ocean of Kysor 4 was flooding into his insides. He looked at Ezra in sheer horror, for there was only one individual in the galaxy whom that could be. "That was... that was... _Darth Vader._ A Sith Lord... the Emperor's apprentice. I... I've met him too. I've felt... that cold that you felt."

"He put it inside of me." Kanan could barely hear Ezra at all as the boy leaned his head against Kanan's shoulder. "H-He - he and the Inquisitor... they forced themselves into my head and they made me cold too. I-It was like they- they were _erasing_ who I was." Ezra shuddered violently. "A-And that's - all I can remember clearly, Kanan.. until... until today, when I... came back." He seized Kanan's arm suddenly, staring up at Kanan with his eyes full of tears. "You brought me back."

Kanan stared down at Ezra. His heart, through the search, through Ezra's tale, had slowly broken into so many pieces it had left only a horrible ache behind. Quietly, he reached his hand up and gently thumbed away one of Ezra's tears.

"I'm always here for you, Ezra," he whispered softly, but though he was quiet, his voice was firm and fierce. "I will never, _ever_ give up looking for you if someone takes you away. The Inquisitor took you because somehow, he knew that I wouldn't be there, that you were going to be alone. But from now on, Ezra, I am _never_ going to be far and I am never, _ever_ going to stop helping you. I will do _everything_ in my power to do so. Do you understand?"

Ezra smiled shakily through his tears and gave a small nod before enveloping Kanan in a tight hug. Kanan closed his eyes, hugging him back even tighter.

He never wanted to let go.

THE END

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the bonus chapter! The title is a line from a song that I always thought went along with EL and CYS. It's called Give Me a Sign, by Breaking Benjamin.**

 **This chapter also comes with a digital box of tissues. I'm sorry that Ezra Lost didn't come with any, but it's a very new technology. Unfortunately, it's so new it's also a little imaginary. xD**

 **While I'm here being a Star Wars nerd and all that stuff, I was binging videos on the Star Wars app from Star Wars Celebration Europe in Anaheim and I hope you guys have all seen the Star Wars Rebels trailer for season 3.**

 **I have one word to say about it:** ** _AHHHHHHHHH!_**

 **Let me know if you've seen it and want to scream about it with me. xD I can't scream about it any more here, since I said I only had one word to say about it, but the truth is, I have a lot more. XD I'm sure you already figured.**

 **Up next: More Ponytail as he shows the Inquisitors who's boss! Though it's probably the Inquisitors. :P**

 **-Arty, out!**


	16. Chapter 16

**To Specter14: Ikr, Specter14... u.u Sometimes my own chapters wrench my heart! If you do reread, I hope you enjoy it all again! =) But it never really says much what happened to him - not in detail, anyway. CYS 15 was our first real look into what Ezra was put through.**

 **xD Zeb cracked me up too. It also amused me when he and Kanan were so tired they started sleepily going on about bantha hair. xD True, though, his reason was pretty good. Zeb was grouchy in the first place... take his sleep and you had better be scared 0.0 xD**

 **Thank you so much! ;D I hope you enjoy this one too!**

 **On your previous review, it's totally okay! Ezra was super scary and totally did sock it to Galen 0.0 And Gravity Falls was one of the best shows ever! It's right up there with SWR, of course, and Steven Universe. ;-)**

 **Oh boy if Kanan did see that Galen would seriously be screwed XD**

 **Imagine if that did happen and the person who found him hanging there was Zeb. I picture Zeb with a bored look on his face batting a helpless Galen back and forth. XD**

 **This chapter goes out particularly to VST and everyone out there who knows that it would be too boring - and just not very like our favorite cheesy idea guy - for Kanan to just hop into a TIE Fighter and fly out. He'd** ** _much_** **rather have a good time in the process. xD I hope you all enjoy!**

16

 **KANAN'S EYES** fell onto that docking bay full of TIE Fighters and his suntanned face, formerly stone cold, split into a ginormous grin.

He ran over the path he had taken in his head, and then did the unthinkable (and perhaps very dumb).

He looked up at the ceiling with his big grin growing extra cheesy. He waved cheekily, then bolted back into the lift.

:::

The Inquisitor abruptly pressed his face against the monitor, his lips lifting in a silent snarl. "That little- _what is he-?!"_

Still rubbing her throat a little, the Seventh Sister raised one thin black eyebrow at her superior. "I take it he's taking a _less expected_ path in that brilliant little scheme of yours?" she queried, her voice sounding even more like a broken protocol droid than usual.

She knew very well that she was seriously pushing it, but it was just too hard to resist pushing a button so perfect.

The Inquisitor's snarl became not so silent as he lifted one hand, eyes still glued to the screen, and tipped the Seventh Sister's chair over backwards with the Force. Her shriek of surprise as she went sprawling onto the floor was perhaps a little too satisfying.

 _"What_ are you playing at, Jarrus," he hissed, golden gaze tracing Kanan as the insolently grinning Jedi skittered from monitor to monitor. Clearly, the Inquisitor swiftly decided, the rebel leader knew he was being toyed with and was attempting to turn the tables.

The Grand Inquisitor's eyes narrowed. It wasn't going to work.

:::

Kanan sprinted all the way back to his former cell, relishing the whole while how annoyed he must be making the Inquisitor. He wouldn't lie - tormenting the bad guys was totally his favorite part of escaping.

Sure, the Inquisitor had probably already foreseen everything he was going to do, was definitely giving him no choice but to go along with what he wanted, yadda yadda yadda. But that didn't mean that Kanan couldn't put a tic in the Pau'an's eye - or start brewing up a plan of his own.

Kanan opened the door with the press of a button to find that the stormtrooper he had, erm, _tranquilized_ was just starting to get up. The white-clad soldier staggered to his feet on wobbly knees, one hand pressing hard against the upright table beside him. He was groaning under his helmet and had yet to remember to pull out that giant needle sticking into his neck.

"Hey, there," Kanan said sympathetically, leaning his elbow casually on the doorway. "Do you have trypanophobia? Then again, I'm never stoked when somebody jabs a gigantic needle into me, either."

The stormtrooper lifted his head groggily - then yelped instantly at the sight of him. _"You!_ Y-Y-You- you're not supposed to be-"

"Incredibly handsome and hopelessly dashing?" mused Kanan, adjusting the collar of his prison suit. He flashed the stormtrooper a winning smile. "Of course I am. Though orange isn't really my color. It's more my Padawan's thing."

He extended his arms and, with the Force, yanked the screaming-and-flailing-in-alarm Imperial into a headlock. The stormtrooper began blubbering pathetically unthreatening things as he struggled in vain.

"Oop, you've got a little something on your neck. Lemme get that for you." Kanan plucked the massive syringe from the trooper's neck and boredly flicked it away, then used his free hand to pull the stormtrooper's askew blaster from the floor to his grasp.

"Please don't -" the stormtrooper began to squeak, only for Kanan to roll his eyes and stun him. The other man slumped in his grip.

 _Well, that's done,_ Kanan thought with satisfaction, then clipped the blaster to his belt before slinging the stormtrooper over his shoulder. _Now I have a weapon. And my very own pet stormtrooper!_ He chuckled to himself as he turned towards the door and headed back out. _Not really, of course. I have the chance to save him from this life and inevitably LOSING his life altogether to another rebel,_ mused Kanan, much more solemnly. He managed to retrace his steps all the way to the second lift. _And whether that works out or not - while I_ definitely _don't intend on failing - he'll still be a big help._

Kanan smiled faintly as the lift doors slid slowly shut before him. _But if -_ WHEN _\- it works out, maybe I'll even teach him how to shoot._

He just had to remember the way back to the docking bay first.

:::

 **Stormtrooper burrrrrnnn xD So what did you guys think? Is that stormtrooper really ever going to help Kanan at all, or is he just going to be a burden and a nuisance? Is Kanan** ** _not_** **a completely lovable nutcase? And just what, exactly, does Kanan plan on having him help with? Only time shall tell...**

 **Before I head off, I wanted to give you guys a hint about that code a couple chapters back - to crack it, you need to use the code A1Z26, a substitution cipher that replaces the letters of the alphabet with the numbers 1 through 26. As you probably guessed by the name of the cipher, A = 1, Z = 26, etc. In one of the next chapters, though, I'll just tell you what the code meant, so it's up to you if you want to try deciphering it. xD**

 **-Arty out for now!**


	17. Chapter 17

**WARNING. TEENAGY FANGIRLING ENSUES HERE.**

 **To Guest: I KNOW. WHY. WHY DO YOU TOTALLY OBSCURE & DESTROY THE PRETTIEST FACE IN THE SERIES. XD (I mean, there's nothing at all wrong with beards, but... why Kanan. xD We don't have those pretty eyes anymore, why must you also hide your pretty face xD)**

 **To Midnight Luna: I'm always glad that you enjoy the story! ;D And I'd be more than happy to chat with you about that trailer anytime. AHHH EZRA'S HAIR**

 **KANAN'S _BEARD_**

 **To Specter14: Lol! xDD Nice one, that's awesome. And yes, yes he is xD Both in that he's hilarious and he's right. XD Ha, seriously?! I've considered that tooka idea too, like in a little series where Hera hates what Ezra's bringing aboard. xD And the tooka causes loooots of trouble. (But tbh the stormtrooper thing that Kanan thought completely cracks me up, too. XD Amusingly enough, all the funny things in this story and especially EL do so. I'll be reading my old stuff or something and then suddenly laugh and my mom will just walk by used to it. XDD) Thank you, I'm glad you liked it! ;D And aw, lol, it's no problem. =) I remember you said you couldn't PM, but that isn't gonna stop me from talking to you! :D Np! Ooh, I'm so excited to see what you'll put out! I can't wait! And don't worry - I'm posting a new one riiight now, and I'll continue being active because my brain is at maximum creativity for some reason. XD Woohoo! ;D**

17

 **HERA WAS** less than thrilled to finally be heading to Bespin.

She sat in the cockpit, staring out into hyperspace as she brooded over everything. Chopper had come back a few moments before, reporting a negative on his search through the ship. However, Hera still had her doubts about whether Galen Marek had actually left. There was Chopper being Chopper, of course - surely the lazy, surly, tending-to-screw-off-a-lot mech had missed something - but then there were Galen's abilities that had to be called into question. Hera didn't know everything about what she was dealing with there, but she did know that Galen was very powerful with the Force, trained by Darth Vader himself, and - admittedly - clever to boot. That made for an extremely dangerous combination. And there was an unsettling feeling in Hera's gut that somewhere, somehow, he was still on board.

Additionally, the things he had said to Ezra were still really bothering her. _What,_ exactly, had he meant when he'd said all those things about something being wrong with Ezra? And how Ezra had acted... Hera bit her lip. _Was there something Kanan never told me?_

 _Kanan._ Hera leaned her forehead against the _Ghost_ 's control board, squeezing her eyes shut. _That kriffing Jedi._

Where was he? Was he all right? Were they even on the right track to finding him? (It wasn't that Hera doubted Ezra - she just doubted Lando. For a perfectly legitimate reason.) What was he thinking about, right now? And - did he... miss her?

 _What kind of thought is that?_ Hera thought with a flash of irritation. _Wherever he is, of_ course _he misses us. And we miss him._ She turned her face back to the glow of blue and white outside, her arms folded as she leaned back. _We'll get him back, just like we did before, and just like we got Ezra back. Everything will be just fine._

But everything _hadn't_ been fine when they got Kanan back the first time, over the burning sphere of death called Mustafar. Right away, Kanan had tried to act like it - but it had been just that. An act. Kanan had gone through a lot of physical and mental pain on behalf of everyone he - cared about. That didn't just go away. It needed to be dealt with; you couldn't just pretend it wasn't there.

Hera abruptly scowled and tried to push that entire train of thought out. She completely rejected thinking about it, but that had struck way too close to home for Hera.

"I'm selfish," she muttered to herself, _lekku_ twitching. "Completely selfish. Why would I even be wondering about... _that._ Forget me. What about _Ezra?"_ She frowned at her own reflection. "Ezra really needs Kanan. To feel better, to finally get over... what happened to him."

Hera leaned her head back again and sighed up at the ceiling. Her eyes half opened and she stared up at it. It was blank gray, reflecting what must have been the azure light of hyperspace.

But no matter what Hera's mind said, there was still her heart whispering, deep inside of her: _Is he being torn apart thinking of me like how I am thinking about him?_

Hera squeezed her eyes shut again bitterly.

 _"Talking to yourself,"_ remarked a voice quietly. _"That's never a good sign."_

Hera shrieked and sat forward so fast she nearly fell from her chair. A holographic image of Ahsoka was standing on her dashboard.

Hera stared at her blankly, her bright green eyes stretching wide with horror. Her - she - Ahsoka had called her and she hadn't even _noticed-!_

Ahsoka gazed back evenly. _"It's okay, Hera,"_ she murmured. _"Do you want to talk?... With someone else?"_

"I-I- no. I'm.. I'm fine." Hera cleared her throat and lifted her chin. "I am fine."

Ahsoka sighed. _"Hera._ Please. _"_ She regarded Hera solemnly. _"I'm not just a rebel contact. I'm your_ friend. _"_

Hera wiped the back of her hand across her face, silent for a long moment.

"I'm sorry, Ahsoka," she whispered helplessly. "I-I just - I don't even know - h- _how_ to..."

 _"I know,"_ Ahsoka said softly. _"But you have nothing to apologize for. You need to see that you_ aren't _being selfish, Hera. It's not only about everyone else. How_ you _feel is important, too._ Never _forget, in all of this, that you are a person too. A living, breathing,_ feeling _person. You're not around just to come up with battle plans and strategies. And I know you think you have to be the strong one, and hold everyone else together, and be there for them."_ Ahsoka shook her head, staring into Hera's tearful eyes. _"But you put yourself aside in that process. Your own emotions build. Because you forget - they are there for_ you, _too."_

Hera blinked, and fresh tears spilled over her pale green face. "I... I know," she whispered, her breath catching in her throat as she lowered her head. "I know. You're - you're _right._ I just..."

 _"Don't know how to open to them?"_ Ahsoka asked with a small smile. _"Don't worry. You might forget, Hera. But they_ never _will."_

Hera pressed her fingers over her eyes for a long moment before gazing back at Ahsoka again. "I-I- _thank_ you, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka lifted her head and raised the marking above her left eye, smiling lopsidedly. _"Hey, don't worry about it,"_ she said, waving one hand. _"I'll be meeting you on Bespin, Hera. And if you want, then I'll talk to you more there."_ Her sapphire eyes twinkled. _"But never be afraid to call whenever you need a friend."_

Hera slowly smiled back. "You too, Ahsoka," she murmured. "Thank you so, so much."

Ahsoka laughed softly, then gazed at her, quiet for just a moment. _"You're welcome."_

The holocall winked out.

And the _Ghost_ exited hyperspace. Immediately, looming beyond Hera and the windshield of her Corellian freighter, was the gas giant Bespin.

:::

 **Aw, poor Hera...! Honestly, guys, especially now that, well, you saw what Kanan looked like in the trailer xD Siiigh... Hera might just be my favorite character now. I hope that Kanan isn't toooo different in Season 3. And maybe Hera will help him with the beard since she probably helped Blueberry with his hair xD**

 **And the Kanera ship must still sail! Seriously, you guys, I'll admit it to you, every end of the season where Hera ends up hugging Kanan (especially in Fire Across the Galaxy), I don't want just a hug. =^x^= rofl Who am I kidding though, Kanera huggles are always precious. But even more precious are when Kanan hugs Ezra. -looks at the episode Legacy and also Chapter Fifteen and bursts into tears- xD**

 **Alright, everybody, that code from a couple chapters before (for those of you who didn't solve it or cleverly just looked at the answer in the reviews, wink wink xD) deciphers to: HE'S STILL IN THE VENTS.**

 **This is because, in the 3rd episode of Gravity Falls Season 1, Headhunters (major spoilers for the episode follow! Stop right here if you ever want to watch that episode! xDD), Mabel and DipDip discover that Stan's wax figure collection is alive - and evil. The twins have to defeat all of the wax figures, but when Dipper decapitates Wax Larry King, Larry King's head manages to escape into the Mystery Shack's ventilation system. xD That code, at least what it deciphers to, appears at the end of the episode. Galen Marek being secretly stuffed into the** ** _Ghost_** **'s ventilation shafts himself somehow reminded me of that and I was greatly amused. xD**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Arty out for now! ;D**


	18. Chapter 18

**To Specter14: IKR.**

 **Yeah... and yeah! xDD**

 **Don't worry, it shall! ;D Here's the next one now!**

 **So, guys, school is back on for me (just a little), but it shouldn't affect my chapter-churning just yet xD**

 **Now, without further ado... referencing A New Dawn... maybe a little spoilery for that book... creating even more ado, whoops - Chapter 18! xD**

18

 **BESPIN WAS,** from the outside, a stormy gray-blue color. But the strata within were all different hues depending on the gases that composed every layer.

One of the most interesting things about the gas giant was that only a very thin layer had enough oxygen to be hospitable to humans. This was the location of Cloud City - a massive, hovering civilization where over six million individuals lived. If Hera's knowledge was correct, it had been built for the sake of mining Tibanna, a rare gas found in Bespin's upper atmosphere. Hera, of course, knew all about Tibanna, since it was used in hyperdrives. However, she was definitely not visiting to tour the mining process. No, she was here to see Cloud City's Baron Administrator... Lando Calrissian.

 _Urgh._ Hera had told herself the last time she'd seen Lando that if she never saw him again, it would be too soon.

Well, she _did_ have to see him again, and it was _really_ too soon.

Hera guided the _Ghost_ into and through the atmosphere of Bespin. (It was nice, for once, not to break or con an Imperial blockade to land on a planet. That was something Hera liked about Bespin - the Imperial presence in the Anoat sector had not yet grown so drastic.) It wasn't long before she reached the Life Zone - the stratum of Bespin where humans could survive. And immediately, right down below her, loomed Cloud City.

It was a beautiful and incredibly spectacular sight - but Hera found it rather spoiled by the fact that Lando lived there.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, working the controls to bring the _Ghost_ in. _Well, at least Ahsoka will be there. And hopefully this visit will be short and successful._

She scowled.

 _He had better drop the act, too. Or_ else.

:::

Kanan was absolutely relieved when he managed to make it back to the docking bay. He wasn't 100% sure if it was the same docking bay, but at least it was a docking bay and not that empty cafeteria he had gone through twice. (And he had certainly not helped himself to any of the food. Twice.)

Dragging the stormtrooper all the way there wasn't even as tiresome as he'd thought it'd be. Despite the armor, he was surprisingly light! (Probably because of the food stormtroopers were served. Yich, that stuff had barely even been worth stealing and eating at all! Um, not that Kanan had done that. But if he ever did do such a thing, then it wouldn't be the first time. Or the second time, either.)

Kanan strode across the docking bay floor, his new pet still slung over his shoulder (Kanan had decided to name him George) as he glanced around at all the TIEs. Clearly, this dealership had sold out of all its nicer vehicles. But that didn't matter; Kanan intended to come away with a greater deal if he could - no smiles or handshakes required.

Grinning to himself, Kanan continued to survey his choices until he finally came across what he was looking for - a TIE Fighter that was absolutely the same as all the others in the docking bay. But it wasn't the appearance that made it special, or its average model (of course the Inquisitor wouldn't leave him anything with a hyperdrive - or more expensive than necessary). What made it just right to Kanan was that it was the closest to the exit.

Kanan stopped and grinned up at it. Though it wasn't so pretty, it sure was a beautiful craft in other ways. Extra deadly, extra blow-uppable - just like all the others in the bay. Oh, he couldn't wait to destroy it.

As it were, however, Kanan did have to wait, because he needed to use it first. Kanan focused on drawing in the Force, homed in on the top of the TIE, and sprang, just barely managing to nail a three-point landing. (And he didn't even drop George, hooray!) Then, with a wave of his hand, the hatch opened up and Kanan was able to slip inside.

He dumped the stormtrooper and sat down. "Sorry, pal, only one seat," he remarked, then settled his hands over the controls with an extra ginormous, rather evil grin. "And it's gonna be quite a ride."

:::

The Grand Inqusitor stared at the monitor and pressed his fingers tightly against his forehead, biting back a hiss.

The Seventh Sister, meanwhile, bit back another snide comment, which was very wise of her.

:::

Captain Kanan Jarrus, the Most Terrifying Captain of All, revved his TIE to life and lifted it into the air. Then, slowly, he turned it around to face the pristine rows upon rows of other TIE Fighters in the bay.

He was hunched over the controls as he stared out at them, his eyes shining with absolute glee. He was still grinning as he raised his thumbs over the two buttons that would trigger the guns.

Suddenly, however, what he was about to do reminded him of an old friend. Kanan's grin almost faltered - but then grew even wider.

It was good, he thought, to honor old friends.

"THIS ONE'S FOR YOU, SKELLY!" Kanan shouted, slamming his thumbs down. Instantly, the TIE Fighter's guns gave way to heavy fire. The entire docking bay filled with vibrant bursts of light as the first TIEs exploded. But Kanan wasn't about to stop there. _"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_ the Jedi cackled as he spun the TIE around in a slow circle, explosions and twin ion engines roaring around him as he laid spectacular waste to the entire docking bay. Thousands, if not millions of the Empire's stolen credits immediately went down the drain.

Kanan wheeled his TIE around one last time and soared out of the docking bay just as the ray shield, damaged by all the detonations, flickered out. The empty void of space sucked flaming shrapnel from within the bay, snuffing out the flames. Kanan peeled out of the way to avoid them, then looked back to see the remaining little lights glowing from inside the docking bay, winking out one by one as all the oxygen that fueled them was ripped away.

Kanan was still smiling, and his cyan eyes still shining.

He'd almost forgotten his quirky friend, back from the days before Kanan realized what his purpose was. And that purpose wasn't just to run.

It was to keep fighting back - for something so much bigger.

:::

The Inquisitor slumped back in his chair, staring blankly at his screens. Those that had been in that particular docking bay now buzzed with static, undoubtedly destroyed along with all of those TIE Fighters.

As the Seventh Sister slowly opened her mouth behind him, the Inquisitor said dully, "Sister, if you have any word to say, I advise you to choose something very worthwhile. It will be your very last."

The Seventh Sister wisely closed her mouth, backed away, and silently excused herself from the room.

:::

 **Dang it, Midnight Luna, I saw your review only** ** _after_** **I wrote this chapter. xD However, I hope you all enjoyed!**


	19. Chapter 19

**I'll just say what you've all been thinking for over a month. IT'S ABOUT TIME I UPDATED!**

 **Honestly, you guys... I keep making jokes about you knocking on my door.**

 **Anyway, to any of you who happen to be on a highway driving steadily closer, please go back home or at least to the nearest internet cafe, because I am finally back to writing you up some more Kanan and Space Family misadventures!**

 **I find that watching a particularly epic episode of Star Wars Rebels really gets me in the mood for writing this fanfic, by the way. Like earlier this morning - I watched Shroud of Darkness. Yep. Star Wars Rebels inspiration overload. That episode... is... too much for words.**

 **Anyways, without further ado (which you really don't need any more of), your long-awaited chapter!**

19

 **KANAN'S TO-DO** list was pretty long right then. While he had already checked off "escape from jail" and "adopt my very own stormtrooper", there were still so many things left to do.

First and foremost, Kanan needed to land the TIE. The old models lacked hyperdrives, and he wouldn't be surprised if it didn't have much fuel in those obnoxious ion engines, so whatever planet was closest was going to have to be Kanan's place of salvation - even if that place was as awful and stinky as Nal Hutta.

Kanan glanced down at his scanners as he drove the TIE through endless, starry space, turning every so often to see what he could see. If he turned the TIE all the way around, the scanners still read the Star Destroyer he had escaped from. That made Kanan bite his lip and turn around again, pouring on the speed once more. _I gotta put some more space between me and_ that.

Eventually, after what had probably been over fifteen minutes or so of flying through nothingness, Kanan finally picked something up on the scanners: a planetary system. _"Woohoo!"_ he yelled. "I'm saved!" Then he settled back down and, as he soared off in the direction the scanners were guiding him in, he found before him a universally recognized sight.

Beyond Kanan's TIE - a single, dust-colored planet, caught closely in the gravitational pull of a blazing star whose twin glowed piercingly in the distance.

As Kanan stared at this sight, he wasn't quite sure what to think. Was this a good thing, or a bad thing? Did it really matter, since he didn't intend to be staying for a winter vacation? This practically inhospitable, desolate wasteland was certainly a hive of scum and villainy. And that was both a pro and a con - seeing as Kanan was, for the meantime, done up in orange, he might just blend in as an outlaw hiding from the Empire or the last guy whose cake he stole. But the downside - _it was a hive of scum and villainy._ Bounty hunters were undoubtedly crawling around in every last nook and cranny, just waiting to see that cash-promising flash of unforgivingly eye-burning bright orange.

But it really didn't matter if Kanan liked it or not. He had no choice.

No matter what... Kanan was landing his TIE Fighter in the oven-baked sand pit of Tattooine.

:::


	20. Chapter 20

**One more for today - and I think you guys will** ** _like_** **this one. -grin-**

 **Also, I almost forgot to mention - school's back up, but my parents are giving me some creative writing time on the computer that won't eat into my computer time later! That means I can write a lot more, and then post! Woot, woot!**

20

 **AHSOKA WAS** already waiting for them in one of the Cloud City spaceports as the _Ghost_ came in for a landing. Hera spotted her lounging against her starfighter and looking up with a smile even as she homed in on a landing pad. It made Hera shake her head in half-amused bewilderment; how in the Outer Rim Ahsoka had known she would choose this particular spaceport was beyond her.

Hera's amusement quickly shriveled up and died when she and the others strode out of her Corellian freighter to discover that Ahsoka had notified Lando Calrissian of their arrival in this spaceport ahead of time.

Hera's green eyes narrowed as the smooth-talking swindler stepped out from behind Ahsoka's starfighter, his face twinkling with a sleazy grin as he opened his arms wide in welcome. Hera took it that Lando had been hiding behind Ahsoka's ship just so that Hera wouldn't see him and turn the _Ghost_ right back around.

"Ah, the _Ghost_ crew, my old friends!" Lando exclaimed, one brow lifted as he stepped closer. The faces of those approaching him were perhaps the exact opposite of his apparently delighted smile. "Long time, no see, eh? It's been too long."

 _Suddenly it's been too long since the last time I went to a bar,_ thought Hera dryly as she stopped, her crewmates amassing behind her. "Watch it, Lando," she warned in a low voice, threateningly lifting a knee as he tried to come in for a hug. "Not even one step closer."

Lando hastily retreated, his laugh a little nervous. "Oh, Captain Syndulla, what a treat you are!" His dark eyes roved over the other members of the _Ghost_ crew. "Why, Ezra - you've grown taller!"

Ezra's face was darkly unamused, perhaps even bordering upon contemptuous.

"And Zeb - looking sharp!"

Zeb's face was _definitely_ contemptuous.

Lando turned his coy smile on Sabine. "Sabine, my artist - lovely as always! Just like your captain, if I dare say."

"I advise you take it down on the daring if you don't wish to be sent to the hospice with a broken pelvis."

"Yeah. And then _I'll_ show you just what an artist I can be when it comes to breaking _noses."_

Lando moved on swiftly to Chopper. "And last, but far from least, my dear friend Chopper!" He patted Chopper on the dome. "How have you been?"

"Waaaaarpp! Wrr wrr wrr. _Pffffrrrrrrrrrrrrpp."_ Chopper shoved off Lando's hand with one mechanical arm and rolled off to join Ahsoka, making condescending little laughing noises.

Lando turned to gaze after him with a wry expression, then awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, feeling rather uncomfortable.

Ahsoka patted Chopper, having watched all of this with silent amusement.

He cleared his throat, then piped up: "My- seems like you're one less personable member than usual, correct?"

"Two, actually," Sabine said dryly. "Tseebo's still in - in- ahCHOO!" She exploded a very high-pitched sneeze into her elbow, then sniffled, looking even grumpier than before.

("Bless you," murmured Ezra.

"Thanks.")

Immediately, Tseebo finally scrambled down out of the ship, almost tripping off the entry ramp as he bolted over to Sabine with a box of tissues and a cough drop of an unpromising green color. "Sabine! Tseebo is here, Tseebo is here to assist you."

"Thanks, Tseebo," Sabine told him gratefully, accepting a tissue (which she blew into with a sound like a Max Rebo bandmember blowing on a horn) but quietly avoiding the nasty-looking cough drop.

Lando made a strange, thoughtful face as he leaned over to Zeb. "Is he new?"

"Yeh," Zeb grunted. "Now get outta my face before I punch you into the Hoth system, all that gel in your hair is aggravatin' my nose."

Once again, Lando retreated.

"Ahem." Ahsoka, finally deciding to intervene, stepped forward, her arms folded across her chest as she regarded them all with sapphire eyes. "I believe Lando wanted to tell us all that he has hold of a couple contacts who may be able to aid in our plight."

"Ah, _yes!_ Yes, I do indeed!" Lando declared, giving his hands a clap and shooting Ahsoka a look of immense gratitude. He turned his head back towards the other rebels. "Let's go, I've already called them here in advance. They're just waiting for us somewhere nicer." He winked, which made probably everyone on the _Ghost_ crew want to throw up.

The others started forward as Lando spun on his heel, but Hera threw out an arm to stop them before crossing them both. She regarded Lando closely, her eyes narrowed again. "Mind telling us the _names_ of these contacts first, Lando?"

"Oh, yes," Lando drawled, glancing back at them. "Not that you don't know them already. One... his name is Boba Fett."

Sabine bit back a squee.

"The other... his name is Lux. Lux Bonteri."

 _"Bonteri?"_ echoed Ezra, frowning. "I've heard of the one guy, he's a real famous bounty hunter, but.. who's Lux?"

"Oh, you don't know Lux?" Lando glanced back at him with a sly smile. "Well, maybe you have a friend who does."

All heads turned on a swivel as a soft giggle came from ahead of them. Shock slammed into the faces of every member of the _Ghost_ crew as they realized that it had come from Ashoka.

As they stared at her, astounded, Ahsoka's giggles turned into chuckles. Then laughs. And then in a matter of seconds more, Ahsoka was doubled over, uncontrollably having descended into a laughing fit.

Ezra's jaw was hanging open. Tseebo helpfully closed it for him.

As Lando continued on with a smile, Hera skeptically followed ("I _still_ don't like this"), her family trudging along after her. Ahsoka stumbled after them, a hand pressed over her face as she continued to laugh.

Ezra just kept stammering until he finally managed to force out two coherent sentences: "Okay, now I'm _dying_ to know! _Who is Lux?!"_

:::


	21. Chapter 21

**We have Boba Fett. We have Ahsoka Tano, and we're even getting Lux. And, well, Rex and Anakin are both around, sort of. Obi-Wan, of course - or Benny - is still stuck on Tattooine, livin' with the Jawas. Palpatine's sitting on the throne of the galaxy, Maul's who-knows-where, and Yoda's on Dagobah where the swamp bubbles up like soda. And Threepio and Artoo are living it up with a senator (well, not living it up if you ask Threepio, that is). And we even have an old friend from the expanded univserse, Starkiller - a.k.a. Galen Marek.**

 **But if you ask me, there's somebody missing from this story who should really show up. You know him, you love him, maybe you hate him. He's one of my most favorite characters from the Clone Wars - and perhaps in all of Star Wars in general.**

 **And if you're going to be one of my favorites like that, then you're kind of obligated to show up in the tale at some point. ;-) Without (much) further ado, everyone - Mystery Man!**

 **Oh, and... Galen's in it, too.**

21

 **GALEN LISTENED** in on the entire meeting between Lando and the rebels from the edge of the entry ramp. Once that cowardly Rodian had finally run outside, Galen had dropped down from a vent shaft to press his back against the wall and eavesdrop.

He couldn't hear everything, and most of it didn't seem incredibly important anyway. But Galen could hear the name "Boba Fett" being spoken from 15 parsecs away.

 _Boba Fett?_ he mouthed, his eyes widening as his lips pressed into a thin line. _But... that little rat isn't_ helping _the rebels, he's working for the Empire._ His eyes narrowed as he deduced, _No doubt planting false information, introducing himself as a friend... one of these days I am going to take that boy by the front of his stupid green breastplate and shake him._

Scowling, Galen crept away and into the _Ghost_ 's cockpit. There was someone he needed to contact to deal with this, and he couldn't use his own com to do it. The Grand Inquisitor had had Boba give it to him specifically - which could only mean that his calls on it were being recorded and tracked. They didn't trust him. _Can't blame them,_ Galen thought with a roll of his eyes as he plopped down in the pilot's seat. He glanced out over the spaceport - the rebels were already beginning to walk away. He'd have to hurry if he was going to follow them. _After all, look what I'm doing right now._

Galen activated the Ghost's holocall transmitter and called up an old friend. As he waited on that friend to put his call through, Galen brooded darkly on how sick he was of Boba Fett.

 _That little brat is finally going to get what's coming to him._ Me.

 _Indirectly me,_ Galen amended, then struck his fist into his palm. _But mostly me._

Galen lifted his head and stared at the holocall transmitter. His call still hadn't gone through. Was it even going to be answered? His old friend wasn't exactly the nicest, and they weren't exactly thick as thieves. In fact, his "friend" more owed him a favor than anything. But if Boba was playing double agent, Galen didn't see why he couldn't too. The thought made him smirk.

Just as Galen had come to the full realization that his old friend wasn't whatsoever interested in calling back, the holocall emitter came to life, suddenly projecting a holographic image of the man he had called.

 _"Wazzat, who is this?"_ The Duros scowled at him. _"You ain't no Twi'lek."_

 _"Twi'lek?"_ Galen almost busted out laughing, but he choked it back. The Duros definitely wasn't in the mood to be laughed at - not that he was ever in a good one anyway. "I'd ask if you were kidding, if I didn't know you never joke."

 _"That's right,"_ growled the Duros, narrowing his enormous, pure red eyes. _"But when this call came in, it said it was from some Twi'lek named Hera Syndulla. I don't want unnecessary trouble with anybody named Syndulla, not after the las' time the Empire sent me to Ryloth. Whas' the meaning of this?"_

"Come _on,_ Bane," Galen persisted, pressing his hands to his chest. "Don't you remember me? Sure, I don't have the calling card of a big floppy hat on my head, but I thought you'd recognize _me!_ I'm one in a million! One of a kind! Just too incredible to forget!"

Cad Bane stared at him, then lifted the corner of his mouth in displeasure. _"Ugh. Yes, of course I remember you, whaddaya think I am, an idiot? I'm not surprised you haven't gotten any smarter, if you didn't realize you'd turn up on my transmitter as some Syndulla woman. Whas' this about, Starkiller?"_ He narrowed his eyes again. _"Got your butt in trouble?"_

"Ah, not this time, actually," Galen said, flashing a slightly nervous grin as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Last time we had a job together, though, if I recall correctly, it was _your_ butt in trouble."

Bane growled. _"Make this quick, Starkiller, your face ain't any easier on my eyes blue."_

Galen folded his arms against the edge of the control console with another grin. "I'd like to call in a little favor, Bane. I know you're an honorable man, right?"

Bane snarled faintly again.

"You know Boba Fett?"

Bane paused, lifting his head a little in interest and fingering the rim of his hat. _"Yeah, I remember that li'l brat. What, he biting your ankles?"_

It was Galen's turn to feel a spark of annoyance. "He's working for the Empire right now, in some big plot against a rebel cell-"

 _"Big plot, eh? That must hurt your brain."_

"-and part of that plot apparently involves introducing himself to the rebels as a friend, planting false information in their heads."

 _"You sure the Empire ain't plantin' it in yours?"_

Galen stared back at him flatly. "Listen."

Bane regarded him, his arms folded. _"I'll try, but I don't got any ears."_

Galen gritted his teeth. "All right, Bane, you know about all the times that Fett has screwed me over."

 _"Yeah, I think I recall hearin' somethin' about that."_

"It's long since time for me to have a little revenge."

Cad Bane arched a would-be brow and leaned forward. _"Ah, I knew where this was going. I do happen to hold a little..._ appreciation _for revenge."_

"I thought you might. Now, I need you t-"

 _"-to exact your revenge_ for _you? That sounds a little uncouth, Starkiller, even for you."_

Galen raised an eyebrow slightly. To him, Bane was a little strange in his ways. As Bane believed - if you were going to do something, you should do it like a man - and oftentimes, that meant personally.

"Revenge doesn't necessarily have to be honorable, Bane," he pointed out. "And besides, I'd really much rather prefer to sock it to Boba myself. But I can't, you see, because I'm involved in the Empire's same little operation myself."

 _"Oh, really?"_ Bane chuckled, half-muttering to himself as he went on, _"Why am I not surprised."_

Before Galen could muster up a reply to that, Bane interrupted musingly: _"Wait - actually, I_ am _a little surprised."_ He slowly smirked at him. _"You workin' for the Empire again? Di'n't think I'd see the day that you stooped as low as all them other bounty hunters, Starkiller."_ Bane laughed raucously. _"'Specially not with how I remember it, with you so passionate about hating them an' all. In fact-"_ Bane raised a would-be eyebrow again. _"Di'n't you say you was going to join the rebellion?"_

Galen sighed, pressing a hand to his face in exasperation. Cad Bane was really creeping up to his last nerve, and Galen had been trying hard not to show it, because he knew that Bane was tormenting him very much on purpose. "No, no, Bane." He glanced outside, felt his heart jump in panic, and then trained his dark-eyed gaze on the flickering image of Bane again. "Look, I really got to go. Are you going to help me get back at Boba or not?"

 _"This ain't all about Boba, is it?"_ remarked Bane quietly with a degree of surprise. _"You really_ are _goin' out against the Empire. That's no good move, Starkiller. You tryn'a take a bite outta the Empire, as a bounty hunter, that's losing a whole lotta cash and getting a whole lot of no good on your tail for the rest of your life. An' with the Empire on your tail, ha, that ain't gonna be a very long life, Starkiller."_

"I know," Galen muttered. "I know. So don't you rat on me, Cad Bane! You get caught and tortured and you tell them who put you up to this, everything you just said is gonna come to pass."

 _"Cad Bane_ never _rats!"_ Bane exclaimed, offended.

Galen raised an eyebrow. _"And Cad Bane never gets caught?"_ He knew very well that Bane had been thrown in Republic prison multiple times during the Clone Wars.

 _"Cad Bane always_ escapes, _that's the important thing,"_ Bane insisted. _"Look, Galen, you got yourself a deal. Just like you said, I'm an honorable man, and an honorable man upholds his debts."_

"Are you sure?" Galen asked, frowning deeply. "If you attack Boba Fett, Bane, you know what that means. _You're_ screwing with the Empire, too."

Bane scoffed. _"Nah, bounty hunters attack bounty hunters, settle old scores, you know that well as I do. Not that Boba will remember any good reason why_ I'd _be ticked at him, but if that whelp's got any memory and smarts in his brain he'll know I'm not just any random Duros."_

"I think anybody could guess that, with that hat," Galen said with a faint smile.

 _"Yeah, yeah, everybody likes the hat,"_ Cad Bane said with a smirk. _"I'll call you back later, didn't you say you gotta get a move on?"_

"Yeah. I did. See you later, Bane. Good luck." He paused. "And thank you."

Cad Bane smirked a little wider and tipped his hat. _"Don't mention it, Starkiller. An' I mean_ really _\- don't mention it."_

The holocall winked out, leaving Galen for an inkling to smile thoughtfully at the transmitter. _I guess Bane is a real friend of mine after all._

Then he leapt out of Hera's chair and bolted off to catch up with that rebel crew.

:::

 **Yeah. I love Cad Bane. He is such an awesome character. And he was always an epic bounty hunter, amusing, a wonderfully made character, and super cool, but then he says this in one episode and gains just so much broadening in one sentence for his already vibrant personality and his character:**

 **"If you're going to kill him, then kill him like a man."**

 **His actions as he said that spoke just as loud as his words, too. What are your guys' thoughts on Cad Bane? Do you love him as much as me? Or do you love another character in particular from the Clone Wars? It's definitely hard to choose. All the characters in the Clone Wars are fantastic and special. I'll always be a huge fan of Obi-Wan Kenobi with his coolness, sarcasm, and wit. I adore Ahsoka, too (she's also one of my top favorites, along with Bane and Obi-Wan), and I will never stop thanking that series for remaking Anakin Skywalker exactly the way he should have been. And that's not even mentioning Captain Rex and the clones.**

 **And writing this chapter gives me a question. Do you guys think we will ever catch of glimpse of Cad Bane in Star Wars Rebels? He seems like the kind of character who would fit nicely in a special episode of Season 3 (which airs the 24th, people, with a pretty ominous episode title). I would definitely love that, to see Bane interacting, possibly even working for (or against!) the Ghost crew. With or against (maybe especially against hehe) I can assure you I'll be cheering out loud if that ever happens. xDD**

 **This is Artemis the Rebel, out!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Why didn't you guys tell me I was spelling Tatooine wrong?! xD**

 **Anyway, here we are - returning to the Adventures of Kanan and George, Episode III: Revenge of the TIE.**

 **Episode I was called The Ponytailed Menace. And Episode II was called Attack of the Kanan.**

 **Alternative Titles: Episode IV: A New Hostage, Episode V: The Entrapped Strikes Back. For some reason the other two titles have been switched and this one is called Episode VI: The Stormtrooper Awakens, while the next one will probably be called Episode VII: Return of the Jawas.**

 **Enjoy!**

22

 **THE LANDING** was tricky, especially since Kanan had never flown a TIE fighter before. But it was _sand,_ right? It would cushion his crash!

(He hoped.)

The thing was, once the TIE came close enough to the planet, Tatooine's gravity began to pull on it. And Kanan had to compensate for this by easing up on the throttle, except the throttle was not the most responsive (probably because he'd been too rough on the controls while shooting up that docking bay). And as a result, Kanan was coming in too hot. And not hot as in dashing, either (as was usually the case), but more like hot as in hot mess.

"HEY, YOU STORMTROOPER!" Kanan yelled as he began to try and fight against his rapid descent through the bleak and dusty atmosphere. "I COULD USE YOUR HELP!"

The stormtrooper let out a low groan, slowly beginning to stir. "Agh..." he mumbled. "Wuhappened..."

"Uhh... WE'RE CRASH LANDING ON TATOOINE! And you need to get over here before I crash us into just so many more sand particles!"

"Crash landing?!" The stormtrooper sat up bolt upright, bewildered, then scrambled to his feet and leaned around Kanan's chair. "Pull back on the throttle, PULL BACK ON THE THROTTLE!"

 _"I'M TRYING TO!"_ Kanan screamed. TIEs were fast, built for pursuit, quick assaults, and speed. It wasn't very helpful when you were trying to get away from them and it certainly wasn't helpful now.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE THROTTLE, THESE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SUPER SENSITIVE!" George pushed him out of the pilot seat and took his place, yanking back on the throttle and the control sticks as hard as he could with a groan of effort. The TIE responded, speeding straight back up into the air.

Kanan popped back up from the floor. _"WHY ARE YOU YELLING?!"_

 _"I DUNNO!"_

The twin ion engines that gave the TIE its name were screaming too, deafeningly loudly, but Kanan and the stormtrooper were more screaming out of panic than to hear each other over them.

And then, of course, the fuel light came on.

"DO YOU _SEE_ THAT?! YOU HAVE TO LAND US!"

"I see that!" George shrieked. "I see that, I see that!" He guided the TIE steeply back down, clouds tearing away from the frontal windshield to reveal rapidly approaching sand.

"You're going too fast again, let me see!" Kanan grabbed at the throttle lever.

"Oh no you don't, you clearly don't know how to fly this thing! Give that back!" growled George, trying to seize it back, which promptly commenced an aggressive wrestling match during which no one was in control of the TIE.

"No, YOU don't know how to fly, let me see!"

"Shove off, you dunderhead!"

"Dunderhead? I'll show _you-"_

Suddenly, something outside clipped the wing of the TIE fighter, sending a violent jolt through the vehicle. Kanan and Goerge both paused in their fighting to stare out the windshield and both screamed in terror at the sight of sand rushing to meet them.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

"NO!" Kanan seized the controls and yanked them backwards. The TIE nosedived in reverse, shooting back into the sky at breakneck speed.

George leaned against the control board. He was still wearing his helmet, but to Kanan it sounded like he was having an asthma attack, he had been so terrified.

"You okay there?" Kanan asked in a moment of concern.

"Yeah, I'm all -"

Before George could finish, a truly heartstopping sound - much more bloodcurdling than the growl of any deadly monster from deep within a cave, even more so in that moment than the breathing of Darth Vader coming from right behind you - silenced him and made them both freeze.

The fuel light was beeping. And it was a sound that could only mean... they had run out of fuel.

"Right," George squeaked out miserably as the TIE came to a midair standstill. Every light on the control board cheerfully winked out, and even the earsplitting roar of the dual engines abruptly met its end.

Kanan hugged tightly onto George and the chair. Then they both began to scream again as the TIE began to fall, building up speed with every passing second -

 _FOOM!_

A gigantic plume of sand shot high into the sky as the TIE fighter slammed a crater straight into the Dune Sea.

:::

 **And I shall leave you guys on a beautiful cliffhanger as an homage to Ezra Lost and to Starlight Moon Midnight, who simply adores my cliffhangers. You're welcome, SMM. ;-)**


	23. Chapter 23

**They should have listened to Tseebo.**

23

 **"SOMEWHERE NICER",** in Lando's opinion, was apparently a grubby old cantina.

Hera, Tseebo, Ezra, and Sabine paused briefly to look up at the flickering sign. It was written in some other language.

"What language is that?" Ezra pondered, staring at it. It was the most poorly-kept sign he had ever seen, and that was a considerable thought for a former street rat to have.

"Twi'lekki," Hera said dryly as she continued forward. Ezra frowned and scampered after her. "Well, what does it say?"

He wasn't answered, but Tseebo stayed behind, one gangly finger lifted as he squinted upwards with his large Rodian eyes. "Dead... Man's...Cantina." His face slowly fell as he continued to read aloud. "Subtitle: Owner Not Responsible for Injuries or Casualties... Sabine, Tseebo is having second thoughts about this place. Tseebo thinks we should maybe-"

Sabine grabbed his arm and dragged him after the others.

:::

The inside of the cantina was just as grubby and underkept as the outside, if not even more so. The chipped, cracked tables and stools were all made out of rough-hewn wood, as though you were only a true tough guy if you could handle the splinters. The tables were all arranged - well, they weren't arranged at all. One was over there, another was over here - they were all over the place, without any rhyme or reason to their placement. One guy was even moving a table to the window (not that you could see out of it very well).

The seating arrangements were all populated by customers as filthy and shady as the cantina itself. Most of them were drinking their fill and beyond coherent conversation. Some were brawling with each other, armwrestling, or yelling at each other, and still others merely sat in the shadows with nothing on their table, seeming as though they were waiting ominously for someone else to arrive.

The bar appeared much calmer, with much less activity, and the customers also seemed a lot more civilized up there. There was also lighting up there and it looked cleaner. Unfortunately, however, the _Ghost_ crew didn't have the luxury of going up there. This wasn't Old Jho's, where they could sit at the front and talk to the owner in hushed voices about rebel news. This was a place they had never been before, and while Old Jho's was a very nice, rustic cantina, Dead Man's Cantina was full of all sorts of scum. The _Ghost_ crew couldn't let their conversation be overheard. They never could - but now they had to be twice as extremely careful as they always were.

So they walked over to the darkest side of the room to a table that had been pulled farther away than all of the rest. It was illuminated by a single flickering old lantern. In fact, the lantern was so old, it wouldn't have been surprising if it was made in the Clone Wars era.

Sitting at the table were three men. One was Lando, grinning widely and gesturing for the rebel crew to sit in the six uncomfortable-looking chairs arranged haphazardly around the table. The other two sat on opposite ends of the table. Ezra stared at them uncertainly as he approached. One of them wore mottled green armor and helmet in a design not unlike Sabine's. The other was a kindly but tired-looking young man, maybe around Kanan's age. He had a fair complexion and a handsome face, with bedraggled brown hair, stout eyebrows, and pale blue eyes. He paused from taking a sip from a cup to look up when the _Ghost_ gang came over.

"Hello," he greeted, smiling and soft-voiced. "I'm Lux. Take a seat."

Everyone looked to Hera, who begrudgingly nodded, and they sat down. Zeb's chair shattered underneath him, leaving him sitting on the floor surrounded by a pile of chair legs with an extremely disgruntled look on his face. Sabine sat directly across from Boba Fett, sliding her helmet back on so he couldn't see her lovesick look. Tseebo sat beside her, and Ezra covered his mouth so he wouldn't burst out laughing and thus gain the attraction of the entire cantina by getting pulverized by Zeb.

"Waarp waar," Chopper grumbled, merely rolling up and hunkering down beside the chair Hera gingerly sat down in.

Hera glanced around with a frown. This left one chair empty.

"Where's...?" Hera queried hesitantly, glancing over at Lando. (The empty seat was, naturally, to Lando's left.)

Lando shrugged. "I thought she was with you."

"I saw her with you," Hera said calmly, but inside her temper was rearing back like a furious Acklay. While Hera was generally a very level-headed Twi'lek, when it came to Lando, her patience was very short.

"I know she was with me," Lando told her evenly, his slick, lopsided smile and sleazy voice driving her to the brink of insanity. "But now she isn't. Guess we might have to start the meeting without her."

"We're not starting without-"

"Um... excuse me?" Lux asked waveringly, slowly lifting a hand. "I hate to interrupt you, but... who are we missing?"

Ezra opened his mouth. Hera closed it.

"Ummm..." Hera said nervously. She knew that Ahsoka and Lux had some sort of history together - but how that history had ended, she wasn't sure.

"Uh, well..." Lando's too-white smile twitched. "You see there..."

 _Huh,_ Hera thought, staring at him. _Apparently he didn't tell Lux just who was coming._

Was it wrong that she felt the tiniest inkling of pleasure at seeing him squirm?

"I don't have time for this." Boba spoke up, kicking his feet up on the table. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

Lando cleared his throat loudly and glanced over at Lux. "The man has a point. We can fill in... ah, our other guest later."

Hera struggled not to scowl. "Lando... surely we can wait a few more minutes. A - hem - she was just here a minute ago."

Lux's expression was maintained as patient and polite, but annoyance could still be detected there. He clearly got the sense that something was being kept from him.

"Sorry, hun, but I've got a schedule to keep." Boba leaned forward, sweeping his feet back down to the floor and folding his arms on the table instead. (If this had not been a business meeting, he would have faced Hera's wrath for calling her _"hun".)_ "But look, I've got connections. I did some looking around. And I know where you've got to go to find your man." Boba glanced over his shoulder, then slid a datapad across the table to Hera. She hesitated before taking it, then stopped burning a hole through his helmet with her eyes long enough to read what was entered into it. Coordinates... to a planet. Which planet that was was left unwritten.

Boba pushed back his chair and dusted off his gloved hands. "Now that that's done, it's time for me to-"

"We have to leave!" shouted an all too familiar voice from the cantina's entrance.

Everyone (not just the rebel crew) swerved their heads to stare.

Lux's eyes stretched wide. The cup he still held in his right hand clattered to the floor, spilling water all over Boba's boots.

"Hey!" Boba cried indignantly, but Lux didn't seem to hear him. He stood up slowly, his soft blue eyes transfixed on the woman standing in the cantina's open door.

Ahsoka stared straight back at him, frozen.

Lux's words came out as a shaky breath. "It can't be."

Ahsoka shook her head, snapping herself out of her trance, and yelled, "Let's go!"

Hera stood up, the datapad clutched in her hand. "Come on, rebels," she murmured to her friends, then ran to join Ahsoka. "What's going on?!"

"We're under attack," Ahsoka whispered. "The Empire is here."

:::

 **OKAY.**

 **"The Last Battle" is my TOP FAVORITE episode of Star Wars Rebels, EVER. Watch it. AND YOU WILL SEE WHY.**

 **MidnightLuna, I hope you're feeling better! And Specter14 - it's totally fine. I'm only a Clone Wars nerd because of Netflix. I was too young to watch the series when it first came out, and I didn't know about it until the very last commercials for the episode "The Wrong Jedi" and that final heartbreaking story arc.**

 **The Clone Wars was cancelled. It aired five seasons - but Netflix has the very special 6th season, which I would say you all should watch if any of you only saw what aired on Cartoon Network all that long time ago. BIG THINGS.**

 **I'd say that my favorite story arc in The Clone Wars is the one that starts with the episode "Deception" and ends on the episodes "The Box" and "Crisis on Naboo". "Crisis on Naboo" is one of the best episodes in that series, which is pretty hard to say. It's right up there with the episodes "The Lawless" and "The Wrong Jedi" (and "The Wrong Jedi"'s story arc. MY HEART). But the first story arc I mentioned is full of Cad Bane, and "The Box" episode contains my favorite ever Cad Bane quote.**

 **I need more Cad Bane in my life. (But I can never get enough!)**

 **Anyway, Lux Bonteri, Specter14, was sort of a crush for Ahsoka in The Clone Wars (or should I say that he crushed on** ** _her,_** **and they drove each other crazy - all that wonderful shipping stuff we all love). He was only in a few episodes, but I super adore them together. He's the son of a Separatist senator, and he and Ahsoka taught each other that there are heroes on both sides of a war.**

 **Cad Bane is a rockstar bounty hunter who can hold his own against almost any Jedi - even multiple ones. He outwits them several times (and I'm talking the** ** _stars_** **of the show, too - Anakin, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan... and other Jedi, too, like Mace), even successfully breaking into a Jedi temple, taking control of the Senate Building on Coruscant... long story short, he's a boss, and the bounty hunter to be. He worked especially for the Hutts and Count Dooku himself on multiple occasions. You'd think you'd get killed ticking off the Jedi Council so many times, or at least doing such dangerous work, but nope - Cad Bane lived to the end of the Clone Wars. Which leaves me with the question: where is he now?**

 **My answer: he's alive and kicking. Much older... but he hasn't lost his touch.**


	24. Chapter 24

**I'm so sorry for being gone for so long, guys - this chapter is severely overdue, and I hope you enjoy it, and that you all had a happy holiday and New Year. =) I've finally, actually sat down and made a serious effort to break my writer's block, work through my discontent with CYS, and get this story going again. Good things are soon to come!**

 **Speaking of good things, have you guys seen Rogue One and the new Star Wars Rebels two-parter that was on last night? Tell me what you thought of them both - I thought they were both completely amazing! I can't wait to see what SWR and Disney-Lucasfilm come out with next. ;-)**

 **In the meantime, though... here is what I'm coming out with next! xD I hope you enjoy!**

24

 **"THE EMPIRE** is here?!" Hera yelled, her eyes wide as she suddenly found herself running after Ahsoka. The rest of the _Ghost_ crew and company scrambled after them. "How is that possible?"

But Hera quickly realized the fault in her own question. The Empire always found them; it was as simple as that.

The instant they left the cantina, Hera saw just how much trouble they were in. She stumbled to a halt and stared upwards, her emerald green eyes stretching wide in horror.

Little more than twelve feet in the air above them and only around that far away, an Imperial shuttle hovered, forward blasters aimed at the cantina's entrance.

Ahsoka, standing just before Hera and looking up with as much alarm as her Twi'lek friend, suddenly screamed: "Look out!"

Hera dove to the permacrete ground just as the shuttle opened fire and the cantina entrance exploded in a violent outward blast of smoke, flames, and rubble. The volume of the demolition left Hera's ears ringing, and the impact had her dazed. Slowly, she lifted her head, flickering back to full consciousness as she opened her eyes and glanced behind her. Her heart stopped at the sight of her friends strewn haphazardly against the ground.

"Hera!" Suddenly someone seized her arm and gently helped her up. Hera looked up to see Ahsoka staring down at her. "Are you okay?!"

"Fine," she muttered with an unconvincing wince before pulling away from the Togruta and racing over to her friends. The air was still hazy with smoke and she started to cough. "Ezra!" she exclaimed, dragging a large plank of wood off of the boy. "Ezra, get up!" _Please be all right!_

Slowly, Ezra groaned and stirred, his sapphire eyes starting to open. _"Ugh..._ Hera?"

Hera knelt beside him, checking him over in a panic. "Are you all right? What hurts, show me!"

Ezra glanced up at her with a weak smile. "Hera, I'm fine." He tried to get up, then yelped and fell against her.

Hera caught him instinctively and stared down at him, an eyebrow raising. _"Fine?!"_

"Okay, maybe I'm not _totally_ fine," Ezra mumbled tightly, grimacing. Hera supported him as she slowly stood up, helping him to stand after her. "But mostly."

Hera noted at once that he was using his right leg only gingerly and pursed her lips into a thin line. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned; it was Zeb, getting up and growling to himself as dust cascaded from his shoulders. "Zeb! Are you okay?"

"Fine, Hera, just bruised," Zeb remarked, his ears flat as he glanced back at her. "What about Ezra?"

"His leg's hurt. Take him for me while I check on the others."

As Hera passed Ezra over to Zeb, however, her attention was diverted by a sudden bright, white light snapping on behind her.

Hera turned around, squinting and shielding her eyes. It was the floodlights of the Imperial shuttle. Slowly, the vehicle was turning, and its entry ramp was opening.

In front of her, Ahsoka tensed, fingers brushing against the hilts of her lightsabers.

Nothing bad seemed to be happening just yet, so Hera quickly scrambled to make sure her other crewmembers were okay. Ahsoka's full attention, however, was fixated on the figure stepping out onto the now fully-extended entry ramp.

"Todo, you idiot!" the figure growled. Ahsoka's eyes slowly widened in utter disbelief. She knew that voice. "I didn't tell you to fire, look what you just done!"

Ahsoka stared as the figure leapt down from the entry ramp to land easily on the ground. The silhouette was strange - the odd-voiced man was tall and thin, but there was an odd shape where his head should have been... almost as though the being was wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

 _It can't be._

Oh, but it was.

At last, the man stepped close enough for Ahsoka to make out his features through the smoke-ridden air. Indeed, the man was wearing a wide-brimmed hat - brown, vintage, nicked and frayed around the edges. And the man was a Duros - an alien with no nose, no lips, no ears, bright blue skin and enormous, pure red eyes. An odd breathing apparatus of some sort was attached to his neck, with one gray tube going into each side. Ahsoka knew what it was for - it fed air directly into the man's windpipe to protect him from Force-choke attacks. The man's clothes went along rather well with his hat - they were just as worn, dingy, and outdated, particularly his jacket, which actually had tails like a fancy suit. He also wore high, dusty boots and a belt with twin holsters, from which, as Ahsoka watched, the Duros drew a pair of LL-30 blaster pistols.

Slowly, Ahsoka backed away, her fingers curling tightly around her own weapons as she stared at the bounty hunter in sheer disbelief. _"Bane."_

Cad Bane stared at her for a long moment.

"Little lady," he drawled slowly, her own disbelieving recognition reflected on his face. "I see you're not so little anymore. Surprised, honestly, you survived the Clone Wars - but then again, if any of those Jedi could, then it'd've been you."

"Flattery isn't going to help you with me, Sleazo," Ahsoka said tightly, staring at him tensely, almost as though she had walked into the woods to find herself facing a rabid anooba. She had to be careful and ready to spring clear out of the way. "What is it you're here to do - and why did you come in an Imperial shuttle?"

"Sometimes the Empire owes me a few favors," Cad Bane remarked dryly, staring back at her, just as tense. "So when I ask 'em for a ship, I get one." The Duros eyed her for a moment. "But today _I_ got to carry out a favor that _I_ owe somebody _else._ So don't you worry your mantral off, I'm not here for you or your little rebel friends." Cad Bane gazed beyond her into the still-lingering smoke. They both could hear the alarmed cries of fleeing citizens and the customers who had been in the bar, not to mention distant sirens, all around them. "I am here for Boba Fett."

Ahsoka hesitated, her sapphire eyes narrowing. She felt at odds about allowing Cad Bane to attack the Mandalorian bounty hunter who had just helped Hera and her crew. But then again - what did they _really_ know about Boba and his motives? Ahsoka pursed her lips as she realized that that was a very important thought. She would have to make a note of that to warn Hera later.

But while Ahsoka didn't know much about Boba, she did know a lot about Bane. She had had to deal with the Duros bounty hunter several times during the Clone Wars. She had fought him, tracked him, and stopped him from killing her master, Anakin Skywalker. She had even been taken hostage by him - an event during which Cad Bane had almost killed her when he made her almost get sucked out of an airlock to allow himself to escape. Yes, Ahsoka and Cad Bane had clashed a lot - but that had been over fifteen years ago. What his motives were now, Ahsoka couldn't really know.

But through all those battles and goose chases around the galaxy, Ahsoka had learned something important about Cad Bane: he was always true to his word. If he said he was going to do something, then he was going to do it. It was as simple as that. And she had also learned that, of course, he was incredibly dangerous, perhaps the most dangerous criminal of his time. If she didn't have to, then Ahsoka didn't want to mess with Bane.

So, silently, she stepped aside.

Cad Bane smiled slightly and reached up to tilt his hat. "Looks like we'll be further postponing that dance. See you around, little lady."

Ahsoka slowly turned and watched as Cad Bane strolled forward and disappeared into the smoke.

Around her, Hera was still scrambling and yelling, helping her friends to get back to the ship in case the shuttle fired again. She didn't yet know that it wasn't the Empire after all.

In a moment, Ahsoka would run and help her, and explain everything. But before she did, she stood still and stared after Cad Bane for just a minute more.

Seeing him still alive and back to his old game left Ahsoka with a strange feeling inside.

A small smile crossed her lips, and then she bolted off to assist Hera.

Funny, how the galaxy was full of old acquaintances.

:::

 **Not friends - but not enemies, either. Interesting, hm?**

 **Ahsoka is certainly right, though. In this book alone, she's crossed paths with Bane and Lux Bonteri, both very different characters from her past. We've also had Boba Fett, from the same time, and even Starkiller, a character from a technically non-canon game.**

 **I wonder what other relics of Star Wars past we'll be running into soon...**


End file.
